Photobooks

The term 'photobook' is a relatively recent one – it's a book where photos, rather than words, drive the story.

Since the 1960s, photobooks have evolved into an experimental and rich form of publishing. Like zines, photobooks have the potential to offer a radically personal lens on a theme, whether that's the changing face of outer suburbia or the national marriage equality movement, and far beyond.

Join Principal librarian Des Cowley for a brief history of photobooks and see some striking Australian examples on display in our World of the book exhibition.

More to explore

• View Australian photobooks in our catalogue, including Carol Jerrems' A book about Australian women, Yask Desai's Craigieburn, it's not the same, Ying Ang's Gold Coast and Maylei Hunt's Let's eat cake.
• Check out the Antipodean photobook website, curated by Victoria Cooper and Doug Spowart.
• Explore a wealth of ideas and imagination in World of the book.
• Read Des Cowley's article on photobooks in the La Trobe Journal no 104, March 2020.