THIS PAGE IS ARCHIVED. THE PHOTOBOOK LIBRARY CLOSED IN SEPTEMBER 2024.
A place to consult great photography books.
The Amsterdam Photo Book Library and Study Centre consists of some 100 photography books, many of them limited editions or signed by the artists, as well exhibition materials collected over the years. Located in Amsterdam’s cultural centre NDSM Werf (Amsterdam Noord), it is accessible by request. The library features a number of artist books by Dutch photographers and has out-of-print books from Leonard Freed, Jim Goldberg, Boris Mikhailov, and Harvey Wang, among many others.
The vision of the library is to make available to young photographers and other enthusiasts a selection of excellent photography work that would not normally be accessible to them in book form. Studying books is a different experience than surfing images online: they are works of art in themselves, and are a vital part of a young visual artist’s self-eduction outside the (paid) educational system.
We believe that great art books are meant to be consulted, read and learned from, not placed on a shelf to gather dust in a private collection. The library makes it collection available at no cost to visitors.
Our library is focused to a large degree on great analogue photographers and also holds copies of the classic instructional books in negative development and darkroom printing technique, including those by Anchell (The Darkroom Cookbook), Adams (The Camera, The Negative, and the Print), and Davis (Beyond the Zone System). The library also holds a small number of works on photography theory, notably by John Berger and his collaborators.
An Instagram feed for the library is found at @thephotobooklibrary. A list of the current holdings is found below. To make an appointment to visit the library and study centre, write photobooklibrary@ziggo.nl or use Instagram’s direct message feature.
The library accepts donations of photo books of quality. Use the email above on Instagram’s messenger to reach us. Recent donations to the library include a number of works by the great Harvey Wang (thank you, Harvey!) and by our patron saint Leonard Freed (thank you, Brigitte!). We are also grateful for the recent donation of a number of works by Dutch photographers, provided to the library by photographer Horacio Sormani from his personal collection (thank you, Horace!).
PHOTO BOOK LIBRARY HOLDINGS AS OF 16 JUNE 2020
Adams Robert Art Can Help 2017
Adams Ansel The Negative 1948
Adams Ansel The Camera 1985
Adams Ansel The Print 1985
Agou Christophe Les Faits Secondaires 2013
Allis Henny and Horacio Sormani Tussen Leven en Dood 1990
Anchell Steve The Darkroom Cookbook: Third Edition 2008
Araki Nobuyoshi Sentimental Journey 1971–2017 2017
Arbus, Friedlander, Winogrand: New Documents 1967 The Legendary Exhibition (2017)
Berger Wout Giflandschap / Poisoned Landscape 1992
Bol Hans God's Allies 2017 (first limited edition signed, with print)
Bol Hans CAVA 2018
Bos Jeanette Statia Song 2016 (first edition signed, with print)
Bos Jeanette Speransa 1998 (signed)
Botman Machiel Three Books 2014 (signed)
Bourouissa Mohamed Horseday 2013
Bubriski Kevin Look into My Eyes: Nuevomexicanos por Vida 2016
Callahan Harry Harry Callahan 1999
Cohen Mark Dark Knees 2013
Davis Phil Beyond the Zone System 1981
De Caseare Donna Unsettled / Desasosiego 2013
De la Cousine Frans Een keuze uit zijn fotos 1991
Divendal Leo Divendal 1997
Dowdell John J. Zone Systematizer for Creative Photography 1973
Drake Carolyn Internat 2017 (limited edition, signed)
Drake Carolyn Wild Pigeon 2014 (limited edition signed, with print)
Epstein Mitch State of the Union 2010
Foglia Lucas Human Nature 2017
Frank Robert The Americans 2008
Freed Leonard Police Work 1980 (first edition, signed)
Freed Leonard Amsterdam: The Sixties 1997
Freed Leonard Black in White America 2010
Freed Leonard The Italians 2011
Freed Leonard Made in Germany 2013
Freed Leonard Re-Made 2013
Freed Leonard After the War Was Over: Jewish Life in Amsterdam in the 1950's 2016
Freed Leonard Photographies 1954–1990 n.d.
Freed Leonard The Berlin Wall n.d.
Freedman Jill Old News: Resurrection City 1970
Freedman Jill Circus Days 1975
Goldberg Jim Rich and Poor 2013
Goldberg Jim The Last Son 2016
Goldberg Jim Gene 2018
Graves Kenneth The Home Front 2015
Hartmann Erich Our Daily Bread 2013
Hershdorfer Nathalie Afterwards: Contempoary Photography Confronting the Past 2011
Horn Rens Rensomatic series various (limited edition prints, signed and stamped)
Hura Sohrab A Proposition for Departure 2017 (signed)
Koudelka Josef Koudelka 2006
Koudelka Josef Exiles 1988
Leiter Saul Early Color 2011
Levinstein Leon Leon Levinstein 2014
Lowenstein Jon Aftershock 2012
Lyon Danny The Bikeriders 2014
Martens Peter Nothing Special 1981
Mauro Alessandro Photo Show: Landmark exhibitions that defined the history of photography 2014
Meiselas Susan Prince Street Girls 1976-1979 2017 (signed)
Michals Duane Storyteller 2014
Mikhailov Boris Unfinished Dissertation 1998
Mikhailov Boris The Hasselblad Award 2000
Mikhailov Boris Look at Me I Look at Water or Perversion of Repose 2004
Mikhailov Boris Time is Out of Joint 2012
Moriyama Diado Journey for Something 2013 (signed)
Newman Arnold At Work 2013
Oorthuys Gerrit Moskou: 1968-2016 2018
Parke Trent Minute to Midnight 2013
Parr Martin Martin Parr 2013
Pellegrin Paolo Fractured Lands 2016 (signed)
Peress Gilles Farewell to Bosnia 1994
Pittas Constantinos Images of Another Europe: 1985–1989 2015
Rogovin Milton Milton Rogovin: The Forgotten Ones 2003
Rorandelli Rocco Bitter Leaves 2019 (signed)
Salgado Sebastião From my Land to the Planet 2014
Salgado Sebastião Gold 2019
Sander August Meisterwerke 2018
Shore Stephen Surfaces Américanes 2011
Smith W. Eugene Dream Street: W. Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project 2001
Sormani Horacio Tussen Leven en Dood 1990 (signed)
Sormani Horacio Memorias de un Paseante Solitario 2020
Sormani Horacio My Best Ones 2020
Sultan Larry Pictures from Home 2017
Terraz Patrice Californy 2017
Tmej Zdenek The Alphabet of Spiritual Loneliness 2011
Van Der Elsken Ed Sweet Life 2012
Various The Concerned Photographer 2016 (limited edition reprint of 350)
Wang Harvey Harvey Wang’s New York 1990 (signed)
Wang Harvey Holding On 1996
Wang Harvey Flophouse: Life on the Bowery 2000
Wang Harvey From Darkroom to Daylight 2015 (with DVD, 2018)
Wessing Koen Koen Wessing 1993
Winogrand Garry Garry Winogrand 2013
