Books like The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers

I started taking photography seriously about two years ago, when I first bought my Voigtlander's Bessa R2a camera in Singapore. Previously, I was happy being an ignorant amateur, armed with my lomo LC-A, taking pictures of friends and sceneries I liked. But gradually, I had become more and more sensitive towards the quality of the images I took. I started getting mad when the images didn't come out the way I wanted to be (or as I saw it). Then I started to research more about photography, and for the first time acquainted with the name Henri Cartier-Bresson who, in my opinion, one of the few that had lived his life as a photographer to the fullest extent (he lived to his 90s!), therefore logically, his wisdom about the subject is unparalleled. He had inspired me greatly ever since. My Leica says a lot about it. The Mind's Eye, is a book that I have been wanting to read for long. Unfortunately it is such a rare title it wasn't available in most bookstores. Until recently I told myself, "it is now or never." I bought the book via amazon and forked up a whole load of extra wads into it, plus 3 weeks of anxiety—for the delivery.The book arrived just fine. It is nicely bound, in hardcover and seems like built to last. Also, it is so light (only over 100 pages) I did two rounds of reading today in the office. However being short in words only makes it fare more in meaning and context. It is the kind of book that once you take out from your shelf, you will not likely to return it for a long time. It is the book that you would want to read again and again—either it is to understand it more, while away time, or just simply as a general reminder whenever you need it, therefore it would be nice to have it with you all the time—present and ever-ready on your desk.I think HCB is a great teacher as he is a great photographer, but don't expect an instant revelation from his writing. He wrote as a photographer and that also demands an attentive photographer to understand what he talked about. It is philosophical and it ventures about photography in its very primal, basic comprehension more than in its technical qualities. It really helps me a lot for it teaches me exactly what I am lacking of as a dilettante.As a sweet lagniappe, not only talking about photography, The Mind's Eye invites you to understand HCB's relationships with his close friends, such as Giacometti, Renoir and Breton—amusing tales that worth talking about over a hearty dinner with close friends.