In the history of photography, the lives of the major practitioners are as captivating and richly layered as the images they have left behind, many of which have become part of the cultural landscape. Yet the stories to be found behind the lens - of economic hardship, of personal tragedy, of fame won and lost - are all too often overlooked.

In Lives of the Great Photographers, thirty-eight of the most important and influential figures of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Ansel Adams to Madame Yevonde, are profiled in bold and compelling detail. By examining the lives and backgrounds of these often complex personalities, as well as the social and political crucibles in which their world views were forged, author Juliet Hacking also casts new light on their work. Illustrated with a portrait or self-portrait of each photographer and notable examples of their oeuvre, this lively and original publication not only provides a greater, more nuanced understanding of the featured image-makers, but also guides the reader through the key innovations, movements and developments in the story of photography itself.