The Photographic Flash, A Concise Illustrated History

Authors: Pierre Bron
              Philip L.Condax


Back Cover:

Electronic flash and its precursors, flash powder and flashbulbs, have a long and interesting history dating from photography's early days.

Previous writings on this topic have been brief comments as part of larger works or short articles in periodicals. The complete story, long called for, is now at hand. Herein, based on painstaking researches and reliable sources, the myths and misconceptions which have been spread during decades are cleared up. It also shows that some of the pioneers have made their researches in other fields than photography.

This book is the work of a photographic industrialist and a curator. Pierre Bron is the co-founder of Bron Elektronik AG. Beginning shortly after the Second World War in the flash trade in Basel (Switzerland), that company has become a leading manufacturer of a board range of professional studio lighting systems.

Pierre Bron's research with essentially European sources, but also American, particulary scientific reports, patent, documents and records held by inventor's families, has been most thorough.

Philip Condax is recently retired as director and curator of technology at George Eastman House, the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, USA. He is the author of numerous articles on photographic technology. His contributions to this book are drawn mainly from British and American sources.

As the authors will show you, several things you may have taken for gospel about the origins of flashlight were not as you believed!

(Excerpt from the introduction by James Bailey, Phototronics Columnist, Popular Photography Magazine, Milwaukee WI, USA)