"When Roland Barthes wrote Camera Lucida in 1979, he had long been hailed as "the subtlest, most original, most sympathetic literary intelligence of the age" (John Sturrock, The New York Times Book Review)—yet this elegant, contemplative, and beautifully subjective volume revealed a new depth of pathos in his work. Commenting on artists such as Avedon, Clifford, Mapplethorpe, and Nadar, Barthes presents photography as an art outside the codes of language or culture, an art uniquely in touch with the experience of loss. This groundbreaking approach established Camera Lucida as one of the most important books on the subject, along with Susan Sontag's On Photography." Condition: hardly noticeable, light wear along the edges and spine, but no real damage other than a very small dent in front cover ( slightly noticeable on thumbnail). Otherwise, book appears untouched. No rips, tears, missing pages, writing, stickers, etc.