Paris Photo fair showcases photo books and their publishers

This year's Paris Photo, the world’s largest photography fair, showcased 45 publishers presenting everything from best-selling editions to experimental Japanese "object books", and highlighting the growing, albeit niche, market for photography publications.

The 27th annual Paris Photo showcased 45 publishers presenting a rich variety of photographic works. The collection included limited-edition prints, rare volumes, and artist’s books, showcasing the growing importance of this niche segment in the photography world.

Among the featured publishers was Delpire & Co, which, since 1958, has published one of the best-selling photo books in the world, The Americans by Robert Frank (1924-2019).

Paris Photo celebrated the centenary of his birth this year and the legacy of the US photographer.

"The publication of this book caused a shock because of the freedom, the way he took photos on the streets of New York. This had never been done before," Emmanuelle Kouchner, the director of Delpire & Co, told RFI.

To choose a photo book, "people tend to gravitate toward what they know or have heard of," said Kouchner.

"Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Miller – these are the reliable names."

Japanese publishers

Japanese photo book publishers also made a strong showing at the fair, underscoring the ongoing significance of the photo book in Japan's rich photographic history.

Despite the vibrancy of events like Paris Photo, the photo book market remains a niche sector, facing numerous challenges.

Read more on RFI English

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