Seizing the Light: A History of Photography

Its chief virtues are a succinct, mostly lucid style, a wide intellectual scope, a flood of ideas and insights at every turn, sensitivity to the technology and culture of photography, and a willingness to attend to images . . . In the end, perhaps the best measure of a text is whether or not one would choose it from among all the offerings to use in class. I have chosen to use this book. - Photo Review, Spring 2000

. . An excellent introductory history book. - Afterimage: The Journal of Media Arts and Cultural Criticism.

. In this wonderful and entertaining book, Hirsch has produced the most useful, readable, and practical successor to Newhall. Seizing the Light is written in a friendly, accessible way -- dense with information, but more hip and lively than other offerings, especially those aimed at college students. - exposure: The research journal of the Society for Photographic Education. Vol. 32.2 (Fall, 1999)

. . Hirsch's prose is very digestible. He writes in a clear, lively style with a minimum of jargon. - Views: the newsletter of the Visual Material Section of the Society of American Archivists.

. Science, culture, and art come together in this comprehensive history of photography. With superlative production values, rare and unusual prints, and a fresh perspective, Robert Hirsch has written the ideal companion to the first 200 years of photography..