Steichen. Edward Steichen, A Life in Photography.

Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Published in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art. Constituting Steichen's autobiography, this is an essential work on one of the most influential of 20th century photographers. From the early 1900s, when he was one of the most important members of the Photo Secession, the group of leading Pictorialist photographers organized and led by Alfred Stieglitz, to his middle years as an influential and highly successful photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, to his senior service as Director of Photography for the Museum of Modern Art in New York where he curated the Family of Man and many other exhibitions, Steichen (1879–1973) cast a wide swath in the world of photography. Steichen also was an American patriot, serving in both World War I and World War II, the latter as the oldest commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy. Among other accomplishments, Steichen had a major role in the production of the U.S. Camera Annual, edited and published by Tom Maloney, from its inception in 1935 until Steichen assumed his duties at MoMA in 1947. In this  book, Steichen reminiscences on his career, along with many excellently reproduced photographs. The first printing has color and duotone illustrations lacking in later reprints and no ISBN number which was introduced in 1969. Copies available:

• 1st printing with color reproductions, fine with very good price clipped dust jacket that has a vertical slit on front cover.
• 1st printing with color reproductions, lacks dust jacket, with custom made 4 mil polyester protector, cloth worn at extremities, near very good.
• Early reprint without dust jacket, without the color photos (reproduced in black-and-white), no ISBN number on back of title page, book plate of previous owner inside front cover, very good with vertical scratch on rear cover.