--- description: As 2014 draws to a close, we take a look back at the photographic trends that defined 2014 title: Books Within Books in Photography image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt98f6a5f33665db19/69876f22e20a87f208a840ea/ways-of-seeing-101.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ways of Seeing: Books Within Books by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 3, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  Ponte City The boxed presentation contains the main book plus 17 small booklets. Ponte City The boxed presentation contains the main book plus 17 small booklets.Mikhael Subotsky & Patrick Waterhouse—Steidl by [Phil Bicker](/author/phil-bicker/) ## Phil Bicker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 3, 2015 12:00 PM CUT _Whether through digital channels, print or on exhibit, the impact, influence and reach of the still image has never been greater. But with so many images fighting for our attention, how do photographers make work that most effectively stands out and connects with an audience. In this seven-part series, TIME looks back over the past 12 months to identify some of the ways of seeing—whether conceptually, aesthetically or through dissemination—that have grabbed our attention and been influential in maintaining photography’s relevance in an ever shifting environment, media landscape, and culture now ruled by images._ **Books Within Books Publications and Presentation** Books come in all shapes and sizes but their design aesthetics are often dictated by the latest trends. This year, we saw countless cloth-bound books with tipped in images—Peter van Agtmael’s _Disco Night Sept. 11_, Dan Budnik _Marching to the Freedom Dream_ were among them—as well as books in cardboard boxes; _Congo_ by [Paolo Pellegrin](http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31%5F10%5FVForm&ERID=24KL535Y9H "undefined") and [Alex Majoli](http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31%5F10%5FVForm&ERID=24KL53W%5F0 "undefined") or _Ponte City_ by [Mikhael Subotzky](http://www.subotzkystudio.com/ "undefined") and Patrick Waterhouse to name just two. There was also a penchant for small photobooks from _Does Yellow Run Forever?_, _Waters of Our Time_ and _War Porn_. And another iteration on the small book was used to good effect this year. The aforementioned _Ponte City_ was the most elaborate example of this year’s most interesting publishing concept—a book within a book. _Ponte City_ documents the checkered history of Africa’s tallest residential high-rise through an array of photographic materials and texts —including the artists’ photographs of the building, its inhabitants, found ephemera, and archival publicity materials—within a hardbound volume and a series of 17 small individual saddle-stitched paperback supplementary booklets designed to be inserted by the reader—and to expound on specific content—at various points in the main hardbound edition. Two books published by _Radius_ this year followed this principle and included a companion edition to the main volume: [Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb](http://www.webbnorriswebb.co/ "undefined")‘s collaboration _Memory City—_a plaintive look at Kodak’s 125-year home, Rochester—intertwines work by the two photographers in the main book, with a smaller accompanying booklet again mixing imagery from both photographers along with writing about the region. [Victoria Sambunaris](http://victoriasambunaris.com/ "undefined")‘ _Topology of a Landscape_ augmented her main book’s stunning landscape photography with three supporting pieces—a booklet of personal ephemera (note books, maps and objects taken and collected on the road) a small text leaflet and a fold out of Polaroid images. In each case the additional booklets allow not only for a distinct separation and organization of content but for a cleaner more focused photo-centric experience befitting of the photographic work in the main publication, while affording the reader the opportunity to gain more insight and context through the text and additional imagery contained in these supporting materials. [_Read Part 1 – Direct to Audience_](http://time.com/3625800/ways-of-seeing-photography-direct-to-audience/ "undefined"). [_Read Part 2 – Documentary Still Life_](http://time.com/3626384/ways-of-seeing-documentary-still-life/ "undefined")_._ [_Read Part 3 – The Portrait Series_](http://time.com/3626026/ways-of-seeing-portrait-series/ "undefined"). [_Read Part 4 – The Contemporary Photo Essay_](http://time.com/3626915/ways-of-seeing-the-contemporary-photo-essay/ "undefined"). [_Read Part 5 – From Stills to Motion_](http://time.com/3626640 "undefined"). **_Phil Bicker_** _is a Senior Photo Editor at TIME_  Ponte City by Mikhael Subotsky & Patrick Waterhouse's published by Steidl A collection of images of Ponte City, an enormous apartment complex in Johannesburg, South Africa. An exhaustive visual, historical and analytical examination of every resident, every doorway, and conceivable angle of the largest residential building in Africa. Mikhael Subotsky & Patrick Waterhouse—Steidl  Ponte City The boxed presentation contains the main book plus 17 small booklets. Mikhael Subotsky & Patrick Waterhouse—Steidl  Ponte City The booklets which expand on specific aspects of the project are designed to be inserted at different points in the book by the reader. Mikhael Subotsky & Patrick Waterhouse—Steidl  Taxonomy of a Landscape Victoria Sambunaris' Taxonomy of a Landscape, published by Radius Books In a quest to satisfy her 'unrelenting curiosity to understand the American landscape and our place in it,' Samnubaris' first monograph is an expansive photographic study of geography and history. Victoria Sambunaris—Radius Books  Taxonomy of a Landscape Sambunaris' large format landscape photographs are presented through a clean, modern design aesthetic in the main book. Victoria Sambunaris—Radius Books  Taxonomy of a Landscape Three additional printed pieces are contained in the back pocket of the book. A soft cover book of artifacts and ephemera taken on the journey by Sambunaris or collected by her on the road, a smaller text booklet and a fold-out of polaroid images taken by Sambunaris on her many trips across the U.S. Victoria Sambunaris—Radius Books  Memory City Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb's Memory City, published by Radius Books A collaboration between the two photographers about the impact Kodak has had on the upstate New York City of Rochester. The book pays hommage to the company whose film was essential to the work of the husband and wife team.. Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb—Radius Books  Memory City The main book interweaves work from both photographers with Alex Webb shooting both digital and on his last rolls of Kodachrome film. Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb—Radius Books  Memory City At the end of the main book is a fold out timeline of Kodak's history and booklet that reflects on the loss and memory predominately through Rebecca Norris Webb's poetic imagery. 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