About this book

This set presents an accurate reproduction of the unpublished magnum opus of W. Eugene Smith, an icon in the field of twentieth-century photography who is best known as the master of the humanistic photographic essay. In 1959, Smith created an extended photo-essay that he called "The Big Book," a complex retrospective of his work that would reflect his philosophy of art and critique of the world. Smith's layout grouped photographs out of context and chronological order to form a series of connected "visual chapters and subchapters" that were intended to have a Joycean or Faulknerian literary quality. After three years, Smith completed two handmade folio-sized maquettes to send to publishers. This reproduction of "The Big Book" is an essential primary source document for the study of both the history of photography and the history of the photobook.