Book excerpt: For more than fifteen years, Edward Weston kept a diary in which he recorded his struggle to understand himself, his society, and his medium. Seldom has an artist written about his life as vividly, intimately, or sensitively. His journal has become a classic of photographic literature.A towering figure in twentieth-century photography, Weston sought to awaken human vision. His restless quest for beauty and the mystical presence behind it created a body of work unrivaled in the medium. For more than fifteen years, Edward Weston kept a diary in which he recorded his struggle to understand himself, his society, and his medium. Seldom has an artist written about his life as vividly, intimately, or sensitively. His journal has become a classic of photographic literature.A towering figure in twentieth-century photography, Weston sought to awaken human vision. His restless quest for beauty and the mystical presence behind it created a body of work unrivaled in the medium.