'The strength of the book lies in Tucker's analysis of the broad historical context in which scientific photography emerged in Victorian Britain.' -- Science'A challenging exploration.' -- Ian Burney, American Historical Review'A timely, interesting, and valuable book.' -- Frances Robertson, Technology and Culture'A useful book.' -- Daniel M. Fox, Nuncius'A pioneering study of the establishment of the photograph as an accurate representation of nature which is based on thorough scholarship combined with imaginative insight. Tucker ranges across a breathtaking array of scientific fields, including meteorology, microbiology, and astronomy, while throwing new light on the scientific amateur, spiritualism, gender, visual culture, imperialism, and Victorian popular culture.' -- Bernard Lightman, York University'This extraordinarily rich study constitutes a landmark in writing about the relations between photography, science, and ideas of truth.

Its use of nineteenth-century journal sources, too often overlooked by historians, to extrapolate the complex and nuanced negotiation of truth values invested in photography, not only allows a clear nineteenth-century voice to emerge, but provides us with an invaluable model for further studies.' -- Elizabeth Edwards, University of the Arts London'Brilliant study.' -- Marta Braun, Victorian Studies'The premise and the methodology of the book are sound, and its conclusions important.' -- Kelley Wilder, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences'Meticulous at every turn, Nature Exposed on nearly every page contains a paragraph that would, on its own, be a superb subject for a doctoral thesis -- postgraduates take notes. For the rest of us, it is an impressive, long-overdue critical companion to the early history of scientific photography in Britain that leaves few stones unturned. It is also an enjoyable read, as it delves into some the quirkier and more entertaining chapters in photographic history.' -- British Journal for the History of Science' discussion of astronomy is layered and comprehensive.' -- Mary Hunter, Oxford Art Journal.