History of Photography. The History of Photography 1685–1914 From the Camera Obscura to the Beginning of the Modern Era

by Helmut and Alison Gernsheim. McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969. 1st U.S. edition, also issued in the same year by Thames & Hudson in the U.K.  Essential reference. This massive 599-page book, distributed exclusively by Aperture, provides a wealth of detailed information gathered by the authors over many years of research and collecting.  Illustrated with 390 photographs and engravings.  Sections, most with several chapters, on The Prehistory of Photography, The Invention of Photography, The Early Years of Photography, The Collodion Period, The Gelatine Period, Some Applications of Photography, The Evolution of Colour Photography, and Photography and the Printed Page.  With extensive bibliography, appendices, sources for illustrations, and detailed index.  Hardcover, black cloth, very good with small spots of shelf wear at bottom corners, edges of pages slightly age toned, with near fine protected dust jacket that is not price clipped. Signed by previous owner on f.f.e.p., otherwise no marks. Scans of book below were made with dust jacket protector on book. Not issued with ISBN number because those numbers had not yet come into use.