The 35mm Photographer's Handbook

A particular book that I found interesting was The 35 mm photographer's handbook made by Juilian Calder and John Garrett in the 70s.

The book has a black plastic cover which resembles leather in some ways, giving it an authentic feel, breaking away from the normal approach.  The idea of making the book like a film real may seem cliche but as a concept it keeps the book consistent and well stylised. I also like the serif type used as it gives a vintage effect. One thing I would say is that by the cover the viewer is unsure what to expect inside, the cover doesn't quite reflect the illustrative/photo pages found on the inside. Perhaps this is an issue for complete consistency- however I find that it makes the book more enigmatic and surprising, just as developing some photographs can be.

One thing that works really well is the stock on the inside, the yellowed pages feel more orginal and authentic, I am not intimidated by them. The problem with using clean white pages is that it can seem too 'clinical', using yellowed pages means it can appear aged and have a softness. This is something I definitely want to include in my own guide.

Something that particularly stood out about this guide was the illustrations inside. They are incredibly 70s and I imagine are purely intended to be functional, however to me they seem in a particular style. They're angular, with interesting perspectives, perhaps these kinds of illustrations could be used for the guide book.

Another thing it does well is the inclusion of camera illustrations, which is something I could also consider for the guidebook. I've noticed a lot of old guides and photography books contain camera illustrations which could be important to reflect an authentic product.