encyclopedia of photography?

hello to all. this is my first

post to photo.net, though

i've been lurking for some

time--mostly in the mf, lf

and classic/pre 1970s

forums. i have an

opportunity to pick up a

complete set of the

encyclopedia of

photography (greystone

press, willard morgan, ed.),

early-mid '60s vintage. this

was something that came up

online so i have no way of

perusing the content, and

so far my online searches

have come up bupkus

(thouph i have learned that

here at PN, people seem to

like the focal encyclopedia a

lot). so my question is, well,

questions, really. . .what's in

this thing? will it be worth

my while? to put it another

way, if its content is more

along the lines of coffee

table book fare, i don't want

it. but if it's packed with

info about the famous

makers (their history and

cameras and lenses), and

info about technique and

processing and printing,

then i definitely *do* want

it. any help appreciated.

I have that encyclopedia so maybe I can help you. It' not exactly a coffee table book, since

it has 20 volumes.

I'd describe it as a 60's version of a "Time/Life" series. It touches on all aspects of

photography, and goes into some depth on some subjects, but it's not really a reference

book or a history book.

There are biographies, how-to's, entries on different processes, entries on the equipment

of the day. There is everything from cat photography to skin poisoning from developers.

There are entries on rangefinder cameras and reflex cameras and view cameras, but not

so much on specific individual cameras or their histories.

There is a beginners guide to developing and printing. I can go on and on.

I Googled..

"encyclopedia of photography" + "willard d. morgan" (all one search term)

and found lots of these books for pretty cheap. How much was your opportunity going to

cost? I saw it for as little as $50.

Where are you located?

With 20 volumes, it's hard to describe. There is so much info in the books (some still

relevant), I don't know where to stop.

Peter