Literature

Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media, Cambridge 2000

Vilem Flusser, Towards a Philosophy of Photography, London 200

Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics, The Invisible Art

ACM SIGGRAPH.
Visual Proceeding. Show catalogs, essays, slides, CD-ROMs, and video¬tapes. The Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics produces visual proceedings from every annual conference. Many important com¬puter artists have participated in the annual art shows.

Druckrey, Timothy (ed.). Electronic Culture: Technology and Visual Representation. Aperture Foundation, 1996. Includes a valuable historical essay section in addition to many recent probing essays. Requires some fortitude to make sense of both the theory and science vocabulary and references. Not for beginners in either field. Good bibliography included.

Franke, Herbert W. Computer Graphics—Computer Art, 2d ed. Springer-Verlag, 1985. The first edition in 1971 was the first comprehensive book on the integration of the aesthetic and the technical in computer art.

Goodman, Cynthia. Digital Visions, Computers and Art. Harry N. Abrams, 1987. A catalog and book published in conjunction with the 1987 traveling show "Computers and Art." Includes a history of computer art and discussions of issues raised by the show and its artists.
ISEA. Visual Proceedings. Show catalogs and essays and video tapes. The Inter Society for the Electronic Arts publishes proceedings from its annual symposia. Many important computer artists have participated in the annual symposia art shows.

Jennings, Karla. The Devouring Fungus: Tales of the Computer Age. W.W Norton, 1990. Enter¬taining coverage of the history of computing.

Leavitt, Ruth (ed.). Artist and Computer. Harmony Books, 1976. Personal statements and visual examples by thirty five artists working with computer

Lovejoy, Margot. Postmodern Currents: Art and Artists in the Age of Electronic Media, Id ed. UMI Research Press, 1997. An important survey of electronic media that integrates history and the¬ory. Inspired by Walter Benjamin's essay "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," the book covers a range of media in addition to computers and includes examples of diverse artworks.
Palfreman, Jon and Doron Swade. The Dream Machine: Exploring the Computer Age. Boston:
WGBH Television; and London: BBC Books, 1991. An in-depth look at the history of computers and their impact on the modern world. A PDS Television series in five parts and the companion book The Machine That Changed the World. Amazing footage and interviews bring the history of computers to life.

Reichardt, Jasia (ed.). Cybernetic Serendipity. A Studio International special issue, 1968. A cat¬alog (and essays) for one of the first large, internationally prominent computer art shows. Includes work by many early computer artists in a variety of fields.

Foley, James, Andries van Dam, Steven Feiner, and John Hughes. Computer Graphics, Principles and Practice. Addison-Wesley, 1990. The standard reference. Although tough going for beginners, this book is comprehensive and almost always has the most thorough, correct, and detailed explanations of the principles underlying computer graphics.

Kerlow, Isaac Victor, and Judson Rosebush. Computer Graphics/or Designers and Artists, 2d edition. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996. Clearly presented technical information, suitable for non technical readers, with diagrams and examples.

Mitchell, William J. The Reconfigured Eye, Visual Truth in the Post-Photographic Era. MIT Press, 1992. Theory and technical concepts, artfully interwoven. A must-have for any computer artist's library.

Negroponte, Nicholas. Being Digital. Vintage Books, 1996. A book for the general public that can be read painlessly in an afternoon. Full of fascinating ideas by someone who knows what he's talking about. Based on Negroponte's comparison of atoms and bits and on his WIRED columns, this book can give artists an idea of the changes that the computer may bring to people's everyday lives. Even after correcting for the hype factor, the reader is still left with a great deal to think about.

Smith, Alvy Ray. "A Pixel is Not a Little Square! A Pixel is Not a Little Square! A Pixel is Not a Little Square!" Microsoft Technical Memo No. 6, 1995. The title speaks for itself. Accessible to both technical and non technical readers. Available via his Web site at http:// www.research.microsoft.com/research/graphics/Alvy/default.htm
Sontag, Susan. On Photography. Dell, Inc., 1977. A must-read for all interested in photography and the issues it raises. Although not the most current of books and not explicitly about computers, many of the issues so thoughtfully and clearly presented here carry over naturally to them..
Scoot McLoud. Understanding Comics, The invisible Art.