For nearly a decade Index to American Photographic Collections has been the first resource to consult when faced with an unfamiliar photographer. This updated edition is based on the original work of McQuaid and Wilson's 1982 index. The index is useful for researching the biographical details of a photographer, or for locating examples of their work in collections. It includes the individual's lifetime dates and nationality as well as the number of images held by each institution. The index can be useful in establishing the official identity of a photographer for archival purposes.

The first edition of this title was compiled in 1982 by the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House. In the time since it's first publication is have become a standard reference for photography historians. The third edition has been enlarged as a result of new acquisitions, inventories of additional collections and a more detailed look into existing collections. The third edition lists some six-hundred collections including over sixty-thousand photographers.

The Index arranges collections alphabetically by state, sorting entries by city, institution name. Detailed contact information on each institution gives a postal address, telephone number and name. A list of photographers included in the collection follows. This edition gives a quick indication of whether the holdings are substantial or less than 25 photographs through a symbol next to the photographer's name. Contributing institutions include public and private libraries and museums. The second half contains an index by photographer name, listing those institutions with substantial holdings. Photographers whose works have only appeared at exhibition are included.

Photographers are identified by nationality and life dates if available. This title is worthwhile for any history of photography scholar, biographer or genealogist interested in the biographical details of a photographer. It can help greatly to both locate examples of the photographer's work for study and interpretation, as well as find sources of information on the photographer's career. The new edition is a great accomplishment and will remain a useful research tool for many years to come by scholars, students, genealogists and collectors.

About the new edition, the publisher, GK Hall said:

G.K. Hall is pleased to announce the publication of a third, enlarged edition of this essential directory. As in earlier editions, the information is organized in two sections. The Collections Listing is arranged geographically and includes the name of the collection, contact information, and holdings information for 585 collections. The Photographers Listing lists 65,000 photographers alphabetically by name, significant dates when available, and references to the collections that include the photographers work.

An announcement of publication appeared in Book News:

Book News, Inc., 06/01/96: Cited in Sheehy and Walford. A comprehensive reference that locates the work of some 65,000 photographers in 585 different collections, including collections held by museums, university and public libraries, art galleries, newspaper and magazine archives, historical societies, and other archives. This revised and enlarged edition adds 50 new photographic collections and some 34,000 photographers not represented in the second edition of 1990. Like the previous edition, the organization is in two sections--by collection and by photographer. The Index also includes comparative rankings of the most widely collected photographers and the largest institutional collections. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.