Hailed by the poet and architectural historian Sir John Betjeman as "a genius at photography", Edwin Smith (1912?1971) was one of Britain's foremost photographers. At the time of his death he was widely regarded as without peer in his sensitive renditions of historic architecture and his empathetic evocations of place. The recurrent themes of Smith's work ? a concern for the fragility of the environment; an acute appreciation of the need to combat cultural homogenisation by safeguarding regional diversity; and a conviction that architecture should be rooted in time and place ? are as pressing today as when Smith first framed them in his elegant compositions. By providing the first in-depth survey of his work, this book introduces Smith's poignant imagery to a new generation. AUTHOR: Robert Elwall was Photographs Curator at the British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects, London. His acclaimed book 'Building with Light: The International History of Architectural Photography' (Merrell, 2004) was shortlisted for the prestigious CICA and Banister Fletcher book awards. Irena Murray is Senior Research Associate at The British Architectural Library. SELLING POINTS: The first major study of Smith's work for over twenty years, and the first to put his work into its photographic and cultural context Includes many rarely seen images as well as previously unpublished correspondence Written by a leading expert on architectural photography 181 duotone illustrations
