The invention of photography and the recording of the world 1826-1910s -- Into the modern: 1850s-1930s -- Society & humanity 1930s-70s -- The postmodern 1950s-90s -- Contemporary photography 1980s.

Isms: Understanding Photography" packs an enormous amount of detail into a handy, attractive guide tracing the evolution of photography through a series of interconnected trends, groups, themes and movements - from the invention of the photographic process to the post-internet age. Organised chronologically, this is a uniquely international, comprehensive guide to photography with concise, readable and jargon-free but scholarly insight into major photographers, movements and themes of the past 170 years. In an age where photography is of more resonance and interest than ever before, this is an in-depth and clear exposition of photography for the interested general reader or student.