The Best Collection of Dusty Books & Old Movies

Let me take you into a Voyage...

Hey!! wait a minute where did I heard this before??...

Today I'm not going to talk nor about Star Trek nor Star Wars and not even on how to make those special little tiny effects or to create a magic photo bubble with your fingers and produce a BIGGER light to get you a nice picture.

Instead I decided to look around the internet archives and bring you something different, maybe something you have never heard or seen before but that has to do with Photography.

Internet is full of surprises and, if you read this post all the way down, you'll see what I mean.

I could simple start by... Once upon a time...

Well if you are reading this far is a good thing, first because my headline caught your attention and you start to become curious and second you sure like photography like myself.

There is nothing fancy about this nor mysterious just some old dusted tapes and books I manage to find while googleing.

You will have the opportunity to see and download movies from the late 40's and books for the late 30's and guess what? All of them about photography or Photography related.

Cool, No!?

So without further delays let's get this party started.

(BUG reported: all videos start automatically and tried to fix the code but they keep on starting, please take a moment to go the page all the way down and stop them manually before continuing). Sorry for the inconvenience and hope I could fix this soon.

First one is a short movie about Photography and how careers were developed.

Careers in Photography and Cinematography (1946)This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc. (1946)
Sponsor: Vocational Guidance Films, Inc.
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 32Mb Cinepack Here.
Download HiRes MPEG4 151Mb Here.

By the same producer and the same series.

Journalism (1940)target="_new">This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Holmes (Burton) Films, Inc.
Sponsor: Vocational Guidance Films, Inc.
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 34Mb Cinepack Here.
Download HiRes MPEG4 109Mb Here.

Great quality books from the oldies that also teach you a lot o good stuff. The wheel was already invented when you even started thinking about photography or has we say today "Digital Photography".

Press photography (1936)

Author: Kinkaid, James C
Subject: Photojournalism
Publisher: Boston, American photographic publishing co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: 8542
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Prelinger Library
Download: 37Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

A dictionary of self-instructing library of practical photography.

The dictionary of photography for amateur and
professional photographers (1902)

Author: Wall, E. J. (Edward John), 1860-1928; Bolas, Thomas
Publisher: London : Hazell, Watson & Viney, ld.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-319504
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 58Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

A Complete self-instructing Encyclopedia in 10 volumes.

Complete self-instructing library of practical photography (1909)

Author:Schriever, J. B. (James Boniface), b. 1868; American School of Art and Photography
Subject: Photography
Publisher: Scranton, Pa. : American School of Art and Photography
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: SRLF:LAGE-2901534
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries

VOL.01 - Elementary Photography
Download: 31Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

VOL.02 - Negative Developing and After-Manipulation
Download: 34Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

VOL.03 - General Exterior Photography Composition
Download: 20Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.04 - Photographic Printing
Download:19Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.05 - Photographic Printing, Part II
Download: 18Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.06 - At-Home Portraiture, Flashlight, Interior, Lenses
Download: 39Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.07 - Studio Portraiture
Download: 25Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.08 - Studio Portrait, Part II
Download: 26Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.09 - Commercial, Press, Scientific Photography
Download: 39Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Vol.10 - Negative Retouching, Etching and Modeling
Download: 38Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

One about exposures.

Unity Photography (1914)

Author: Steadman, Frank Morris
Subject: Photography -- Exposure
Publisher: New York, D. Van Nostrand company
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: b5515224
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: New York Public Library
Collection: americana
Download: 7Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

If you are into time-lapse photography you should love this one.

My ivory cellar; [the story of time-lapse photography] (1958)

Author: Ott, John Nash, 1909-
Subject: Chronophotography
Publisher: Chicago, Twentieth Century Press
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: 8888
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Prelinger Library
Download: 25Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

See how some of the special effects were created back then. Hey mate, NO Photoshop ;)

Behind the Lens (1940)
This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Sponsor: Chevrolet Division, General Motors Corporation
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 34Mb 512Kb MPEG4 Here.
Download HiRes MPEG4 100Mb Here.

Another Video, this one takes you to a 19 minute journey over High Speed Photography in the earlier days.

Fastax-tion (1961)
This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Audio/Visual: Sound, Color
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 83Mb 512Kb MPEG4 Here.
Download HiRes MPEG4 299Mb Here.

And in this one I found a lot of good things that, even in nowadays people continue to make the mistake of not reading the "Instructions Book". So I leave you with this great old movie full of advises and tips...


Your Movie Camera and How to Use It (1948)
This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Paul Burnford
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 46Mb 512Kb MPEG4 Here.
Download HiRes MPEG 297Mb Here.

Some more interesting oldies books.

Get that picture! The story of
the news cameraman (1938)

Author: Ezickson, A. J. (Aaron Jacob), 1896-
Subject: Photography; Journalism; Newspapers -- Illustrations
Publisher: New York, N.Y. National library press
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: 8543
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Prelinger Library
Download: 25Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

News pictures (1937)

Author: Price, Jack
Subject: Photography; Newspapers
Publisher: New York : Round Table Press, inc.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: 8541
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Prelinger Library
Download: 45Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Before I fill your mind with old B/W movies I would like to share the Film promoting use of Technicolor process to industrial film producers.

Technicolor for Industrial Films (1949)
This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Technicolor Corporation
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 35Mb 512Kb MPEG4 Here.
Download HiRes MPEG2 226Mb Here.

And some more good books.

One that talks about Aerial photography and this is a very interesting one for that time.

Airplane photography (1920)

Author: Ives, Herbert Eugene, 1882-1953
Subject: Aerial photography
Publisher: Philadelphia, London : J.B. Lippincott company
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-253779
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 54Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Another for general purposes Photography.

The Barnet book of photography (1905)

Publisher: Barnet, [Eng.] : Elliott & Sons
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: b5517236
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: New York Public Library
Download: 14Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Let's take a look at some of the most interesting ones for Landscape photography.

Pictorial landscape-photography (1914)

Author: Anderson, Paul, 1880-1956
Subject: Landscape photography; Photography, Artistic
Publisher: Boston : Photo-era, the American journal of photography
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-50469261
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 12Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Another that talks about artistic landscape with some good advices.

Artistic landscape photography (1896)

Author: Wall, Alfred H
Subject: Landscapes photography; Photography, Artistic
Publisher: London : Percy Lund & Co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-4336900
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 16Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Landscape photography was one of the very discusses issues by that time people would love to explore the outdoors and mentioned on the next volume from 1888.

Letters on landscape photography (1888)

Author: Robinson, H. P. (Henry Peach), 1830-1901
Subject: Landscape photography; Photography, Artistic
Publisher: London : Piper & Carter
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-319849
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Download: 9.1Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Talking about nature I found this one for Beginners ;)

Nature photography for beginners (1909)

Author: Bedford, Edward John
Subject: Nature photography
Publisher: London : J.M. Dent
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-567464
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Download: 32Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

If you are a Naturalist photographer, then you also have your own book from 1901.

Photography for naturalists (1901)

Author: English, Douglas, 1870-1939
Subject: Nature photography
Publisher: London : Iliffe & sons
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-33776396
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 44Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

How about some composition lesson? Read the next one...

Pictorial composition in photography (1920)

Author: Hammond, Arthur, b. 1882
Subject: Photography, Artistic
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : American photographic publishing co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-253714
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 47Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Another one about composition.

An adventure in photography (1893)

Author: Thanet, Octave, 1850-1934
Subject: Photography
Publisher: New York : C. Scribner's sons
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-304638
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 21Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Are you beginning Astronomical photography, maybe you consider reading this one.

Astronomical photography for amateurs (1921)

Author: Waters, Henry Hayden
Subject: Astronomical photography
Publisher: London : Gall & Inglis
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-3567253
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 8.7Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

But if you are more into Fine Art photography here are two great books for you.

The fine art of photography (1919)

Author: Anderson, Paul, 1880-1956
Subject: Photography, Artistic
Publisher: Philadelphia ; and London : Lippincott
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-253712
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 41Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

And here is the other one.

Photography and fine art (1918)

Author: Bailey, Henry Turner, 1865-
Subject: Photography, Artistic
Publisher: Worcester, Mass., The Davis press
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-50469259
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 29Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

If Underwater is your theme grab this one ;)

The photography of aquatic animals in
their natural environment (1908)

Author: Reighard, Jacob Ellsworth, 1861-1942
Subject: Photography of animals
Publisher: Washington, Govt. Print. Off.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-33776407
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 7.6Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Even back then they had books about lens and optics :) and I'm talking 1904.

The optics of photography
and photographic lenses (1904)

Author: Taylor, J. Traill (John Traill), 1827-1895; Everitt, P. F
Subject: Photographic optics; Photographic lenses
Publisher: London, New York, Whittaker & co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-11731
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 21Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

One for Indoor and Outdoor photography from 1895 and this one is for amateurs ;)

Photography indoors and out;
a book for amateurs (1895)

Author: Black, Alexander, 1859-1940
Subject: Photography
Publisher: Boston, New York, Houghton, Mifflin and company
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: b5568683
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: New York Public Library
Download: 12Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Let's take a short break on the books to watch this last video. It's HILARIOUS and very informative ;)
Know all there is to know about fashion photography and models in late 1940's.

The Girl on the Magazine Cover (1940)

This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives
Producer: Handy (Jam)
Organization Sponsor: Chevrolet Motor Company
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
Download 37Mb 512Kb MPEG4 Here.
Download HiRes MPEG2 244Mb Here.

These last books are a short compilation of Photography books for beginners, instructions in photography and the beginning of color photography.

Instructions in photography (1900)

Author: Abney, William de Wiveleslie, Sir, 1843-1920
Subject: Photography
Publisher: London, S. Low, Marston & company, limited
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-319516
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 53Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

So after reading the instructions let's take the very first steps in Photography.

First steps in photography (1913)

Author: Wallsgrove, J. C. H
Subject: Photography
Publisher: London, G. Routledge and Sons; [etc., etc.]
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-100796094
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 13Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

We move forward to the fundamentals of Photography.

The fundamentals of photography (1921)

Author: Mees, C. E. Kenneth (Charles Edward Kenneth), 1882-1960
Subject: Photography -- Handbooks, manuals, etc
Publisher: Rochester, N.Y., Eastman Kodak co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Robarts - University of Toronto
Download: 13Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Next and before we move into color photography here are some principles and applications.

Photography, its principles and applications (1920)

Author: Watkins, Alfred
Publisher: London, Constable & company ltd.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: nrlf_ucb:GLAD-319526
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 36Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Moving into color photography back in 1945 let's read some history first.

History of color photography (1945)

Author: Friedman, Joseph Solomon, 1899-
Subject: Color photography -- History; Color photography
Publisher: Boston, The American photographic publishing company
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: 9502
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: Prelinger Library
Download: 77Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Color Photography in Objects.

The photography of colored objects (1919)

Author: Eastman Kodak Company
Subject: Photography, Orthochromatic
Publisher: Rochester, N.Y. : The Company
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: b5519537
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: New York Public Library
Download: 5.4Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

And last but not least the Pratical Color Photography in 1922.

Practical color photography (1922)

Author: Wall, E. J. (Edward John), 1860-1928
Subject: Color photography
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : American Photographic Publishing Co.
Possible copyright status: NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
Language: English
Call number: srlf_ucla:LAGE-3427338
Digitizing sponsor: MSN
Book contributor: University of California Libraries
Download: 16Mb PDF Book Here.
Read it: in HTML Flip Book go Here.

Hope you have enjoyed this time travel through some of the old movies and books that taught and show to the masses Photography and Cinematography of those days and that I brought you here today as a Best compilation of them all.