Part of the Aperture Ideas series, a series devoted to the finest critical and creative minds exploring key concepts in photography, this book gathers short essays by the author. While written in an accessible style, these are situated in the world of art theory, and deal with the present and future of photography in that context. For instance, photographs of the destruction of the World Trade Center are seen as relevant because they swept away the fashion in academic critical theory for attacking the existence of all documentary photography. Within this context, the author also considers current events, such as the US government's decision to withhold photographs of the body of Osama bin Laden. However, most of the book's short essays are the author's reflections on individual figures in the world of fine art and academic theory, many but not all of whom are photographers. Distributed by Distributed Art Publishers. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)