Book excerpt: "Conversations is a landmark series in photography, featuring extensive interviews by major international critics with living masters on aesthetics, craft, and culture. The book traces the heritage of the medium in fascinating, informal discourses on topics ranging from the personal to the political, covering intimate detail and theoretical background alike. Complete with biographies, bibliographies, and self-portraits of each featured artist, it is both a vital record of contemporary photography and an engaging read."--BOOK JACKET.