The debut collection of essays from one of Britain's most celebrated photographers.

For many years, photographer Michael Collins had wondered what exactly it was that he found so mysterious about photography. In this series of linked pieces, Collins offers a reappraisal of humble-and often ubiquitous-photographic genres that he believes are worthy of greater understanding.

From restoring abandoned photos, whose subjects are lost to time, to a quotidian history of the studio portrait; from tracing the origins of the panorama within the wider field of art history to an experiment in photographic portraiture using gorillas, Collins reveals what it is about photography that continues to fascinate us.

Michael Collins was the first contemporary art photographer to be exhibited at The British Museum. The recipient of numerous Arts Council England grants, his work is in many British and overseas collections including the V&A, The British Library, and other private collections. He has been the picture editor of the Telegraph magazine and the photography critic for the Daily Telegraph and has written for many publications, including the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Independent and Granta. His most recent book of photography is The Nuclear Sublime.

Will Self is a journalist, columnist, and author of more than two dozen books of fiction and nonfiction, including eleven novels. His most recent book is the collection Why Read: Selected Writings 2001-2021. He lives in London.