History of Photography (An international quarterly) ed. by Heinz K. Henisch (review)

246 Books development of new specialized shops, and even of sections of supermarkets, dealing with ‘cultural’ goods such as music. He describes developments in town planning through the provision of opportunities for a wide range of leisure activities. including the arts; artistic interests revealed in the preferred programs on TV and in the cinema; attendance at concerts or the theater and the relation of art to mass culture. There is a section. which I found particularly significant, on the general problem of adult education in the arts, and which raises the question: ‘How to promote genuine mutual communication between the creator’s and the public’s cultural level through a learning process?’ (p. 176). The problem differs according to the educational and socio-economic levels of the recipients of such education, but Dumazedier rightly emphasizes that the class differences are never absolute; there is considerable overlapping in taste and in the artistic content of leisure. Both these books are in my judgment interesting and informative; I, at least, learned a great deal from them. Dumazedier’s style is somewhat more literary, but Parker’s book covers more ground. Both writers show a commendable combination of theoretical considerations with the results of empirical research. It is a pleasure to recommend them both. I would like to express my thanks to my associate, Lynn Kari Petrich, for her helpful comments. The Sociology of the Arts. Mildred Weil and Duncan Hartley. eds. Interstate Printers & Publishers, Danville. 111.. 1975. 179pp. Paper. Reviewed by John Adkins Richardson* A definitive examination of theoretical social studies of the arts would be of enormous interest and is much needed. That is not what this book is, however. Rather, it is an outgrowth ofa course of the same title. given at William Paterson College, New Jersey, U.S.A. A compilation of lectures and readings dealing with various topics in music, visual art, literature. theatre, dance. philosophy and sociology. it seems well thought out and serviceable as a textbook for such a multidisciplinary course offering. Therefore. The Sociology q/ rhe Arts could. perhaps. be a model for others intended for similar or related courses at the undergraduate level. But readers who have no teacher to complement the book are likely to be disappointed by it. This small paperback does not contain illustrations. It is an example of so-called strike-on composition in which pages are typed on a typewriter and then photographed onto lithographic plates to be run by off-set presses. The technique can be used very effectively. It is even possible-given sufficient time and patience-to produce justified right margins. And there is no reason that halftone reproductions cannot be inserted into the text, either by use of veloxes or by double-burning.These things are done routinely, even by amateur printers. But the book in hand is not a very sophisticated item, in terms of graphic production. It is a clean piece of work, produced with care, it is true. And to insist that the right-hand margins should bejustified would be rather priggish. Nonetheless, the lack of illustrations will pose difficultiesto anyone who is not already well-informed on the visual arts. History of Photography (An international quarterly). Heinz K. Henisch. ed. Taylor and Francis, London. Annual subscription rates U.S. $24.00, U.K. f12.00. Reviewed by Jacques J. Halber** The first issue of this Journal appeared in January 1977. The inside front cover provides its purpose and objectives, according to which the Journal ‘is addressed to readers with a serious interest in this field’ and ‘one of the principal purposes is to promote an understanding of the subtle relationships between photography and the other graphic arts’. The outline of scope includes many areas, ranging from ‘the camera obscura and related instruments’ to ‘19th and 20th century masters’ to ‘the teaching of photographic history’. *802 West High St., Edwardsville, IL 62025, U.S.A. **I4 rue des Tongres, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium. The first issue contains 10 illustrated articles ranging from ’The 150th Anniversary of Photography’ to ’Secret CameraThe Photography of Horace Engle’ to ‘Early Photography in Eastern Europe’ and reviews of two books. The most interesting to me was the...