Photobook Community List 2025

Your favourite 2025 photobooks, together with ours

Updated 16 Jan, 21:30 (UTC+1)
(list of lists: 16 Jan 21:30)

🤶

Here are the most interesting, relevant, notable, exceptional, and/or favourite photobooks of 2025, according to the photobook community. We are having a smaller party this year, but we know how to celebrate, and you are invited to join!

Nov ‘25 – “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to make a year-end list this year?” Martin Amis asked me last year, after kindly informing me that he was taking a year off from throwing the Photobookstore year-end party. I wasn’t, because that year I would celebrate my 10th meta-list anniversary. As of writing, I’m still putting the candles on the cake, bringing the 10-year archive back alive on Substack.

Of course, last year's jubilee also prompted me to reflect, and I see that a lot has changed. Most importantly, ten years earlier, year-end lists would roll by while you and I were scrolling through Facebook; we were happy to make a list or at least share the ones that surfaced in our feed. Last year, I had to filter them out of Instagram within the small timeframe a “story” lasts there because people were no longer sharing them as posts.

My conversation this year was with Rixon Read. Due to staffing time constraints, photo-eye has decided to keep its “Favourite Books” feature in-house this year as it did in 2022. It means that around 45 to 90 luminaries will not be participating. Both last year and in 2022, I was still able to scramble 90+ year-end lists, but will it be worth all the effort again? By now, I think it’s clear that Photobookstore is not compiling the other big list either.

I am choosing not to spend as much time on a meta-list as I did in previous years. Because of a waning enthusiasm (for lists or social media?). Because I’m not even sure there will be enough voices with authority to bake a proper celebration cake. And obviously, because of the time involved, but also because I dread hours of watching genocide on Instagram, waiting for your year-end list to show up. Lastly, I want to be with my family. My dad is in the hospital, and we are worried (19/12 rehabilitating).

This is how my break will look: I’m not planning to let friends and fans of the meta-list down. But I will be more or less back to my “strategy” from the very first year. I’m going to wait, see, and enjoy what comes by. I will look for the other large lists and include them. And I appeal to you, to everyone who appreciates the meta-list: please send me the lists that come your way while you are doing your thing.

This list will have the same bells and whistles as the Meta-list on Substack. But it may not be substantial enough to be considered the same thing. I hope you are willing to provide input; therefore, I’m introducing this “Informal Photobook Community List”.

I’m really counting on your support. Please let me know if you see or make a list.

It is January 16, 21:30 (UTC+1), and I am pleased to show you the top 150 photobooks and zines of the moment on the Photobook Community List 2025. These are the books that received two or more mentions in the year-end lists of 2025, so far. Currently, the complete informal Community List comprises 546 photobooks, selected by 192 individuals and institutions who deemed them the most interesting, relevant, notable, exceptional, and/or favourite, but not necessarily the best books of the year. They were originally recommended on 70 unique lists worldwide.

I won’t be able to update the following part of the community list daily, but I will update it at least once a week until I have processed (almost) all lists. The last one typically arrives between Epiphany and Lunar New Year. In the second half of January, I will also start adding images and reviews to the books.

🔔 The list-makers and List of Lists are in this same document. Find them quickly by using Ctrl+F or by scrolling down a great list of books. The List of Lists (links to all individual lists) and List-makers will usually get an update as soon as I receive or find a new year-end list. Possibly a few times a day.

Here we go!

13 selections

13 You Are What You Do – Daniel Arnold (Loose Joints)

Chosen by 5 Robin Titchener, 13 Lucia De Stefani, 16 Blind, 28 Joe Dilworth, 38 Kalel Koven and Valentine Zeler, 40 Martin Amis, 41 Moira Gonzalez, 47 Ed Templeton, 49 Stephen Goldblatt, 50 Narrativa, 52 Brad Zellar, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy, 60 Christophe Périgois

8 selections

8 Riverland – Marjolein Martinot (Stanley/Barker)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 22 Colin Pantall, 38 Kalel Koven and Valentine Zeler, 40 Martin Amis, 52 Brad Zellar, 60 Christophe Périgois

8 The Weight of Ash – Ian Bates (Deadbeat Club)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 24 Molly Roberts, 45 Daniel Agee, 47 Ed Templeton, 49 Stephen Goldblatt, 52 Brad Zellar, 60 Christophe Périgois

6 selections

6 Blank Notes – Marshall To (Charcoal Press)

Chosen by 10 Todd Hido, 16 Blind, 23 Gabriela Cendoya, 39 Misha Kominek, 40 Martin Amis, 52 Brad Zellar

6 Flowers Drink the River – Pia Paulina Guilmoth (Stanley/Barker)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 10 Brian Clamp, 29 Giovanna D’Ascenzi, 48 Tania Franco Klein, 56 Regina Anzenberger, 59 Photobook Journal

6 Sistermoon – Siri Kaur (Void)

Chosen by 29 Rosy Santella, 37 Gerry Brakus, 39 Misha Kominek, 40 Martin Amis, 50 Narrativa, 52 Brad Zellar

6 The Classroom – Hicham Benohoud (Loose Joints)

Chosen by 10 Francesca Marani, 16 Blind, 18 Guillaume Delacroix, 28 Joe Dilworth, 37 Gerry Brakus, 61 Sugar Paper

6 Too Many Products Too Much Pressure – Janet Delaney (Deadbeat Club)

Chosen by 5 Robin Titchener, 10 Monique Deschaines, 40 Martin Amis, 47 Ed Templeton, 49 Stephen Goldblatt, 52 Brad Zellar

6 Twelve Acres – Henry O. Head (Twin Palms)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 20 Raymond Hagewoud, 40 Martin Amis, 52 Brad Zellar, 60 Christophe Périgois

🔔 Please look beyond the ‘Top 10’. Some of the finest cherries, with your name on them, are at the bottom of the bowl. This list is great (and also meant) for discovering less-promoted books, picked by people whose tastes you trust or interests you share. Enjoy!

5 selections

5 And Then There was the Night – Magdalena Wysocka/Claudio Pogo (Outer Space Press)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 13 Dance Panchaud, 19 Mireia Alises, 32 Youvalle Levy

5 Aux Ombres – Simon Vansteenwinckel (Lamaindonne)

Chosen by 3, Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 46 Ola Søndenå, 66 Sébastien Cuvelier

5 Chicago – Mark Steinmetz (Nazraeli)

Chosen by 40 Martin Amis, 47 Ed Templeton, 52 Brad Zellar, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy, 60 Christophe Périgois

5 Homesick New York – Michael Ackerman (Blow Up Press)

Chosen by 22 Gabriela Cendoya, 32 Youvalle Levy, 39 Misha Kominek, 56 Regina Anzenberger, 58 Julia Borissova.

5 Thought Trails – Jackie Mulder (self-published)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 40 Martin Amis, 46 Ola Søndenå

4 selections

4 American Photography – edited by Mattie Bloom and Hans Rooseboom (Rijksmuseum)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 12 Rianne van Dijck, 26 Ruben Lundgren, 31 Focus editorial team

4 As Long as the Sun Lasts – Joselito Verschaeve (Void)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 13 Karolina Kluza, 19 Mireia Alises, 53 Viktor Várad

4 Between the Mountain and the River – Rick van der Klooster (Fw:Books)

Chosen by 12 Rianne van Dijck, 20 Raymond Hagewoud, 46 Ola Søndenå, 68 Tung

4 Birds of a Feather – Claire Rosen (Warwick Editions)

Chosen by 10 Chloe Coleman, 10 Ron Haviv, 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 24 Molly Roberts

4 Catálogo – Ricardo Cases (self-published)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 48 Sema D’Acosta, 48 Nicolás Combarro

4 Corbijn, Anton – Anton Corbijn (Hannibal Books)

Chosen by 10 Sacha Lecca, 10 Andreas Trampe, 29 Giovanna D’Ascenzi, 31 Focus editorial team

4 Dimma Brume Mist – JH Engström (Void)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 18 Emmanuelle Lequeux, 48 Paul Graham, 60 Christophe Périgois

4 Emerald Drifters – Cig Harvey (Phaidon)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 24 Molly Roberts, 55 Karen Bullock

4 Frida Forever – Frida Lisa Carstensen Jersø (Disko Bay)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 13+22 Colin Pantall, 25 Kate Schultze, 49 Stephen Goldblatt

4 Mother’s Land – Daniel Lee Postaer (Deadbeat Club)

Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 40 Martin Amis, 47 Ed Templeton, 52 Brad Zellar)

4 Place de la République 2019-2023 – Thomas Boivin (Stanley/Barker)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 16 Blind, 20 Raymond Hagewoud

4 Radiations of War – Yana Kononova (XYZ Books/Fotodok)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 10 Alexa Beckee, 20 Raymond Hagewoud, 54 Untitled | Ukrainian Photography

4 Small Death – Martha Naranjo Sandoval (Mack)

Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 10 Liz Sales, 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 35 Tom (TPG)

4 Sunshine Terrace – Emily Shur (Deadbeat Club)

Chosen by 45 Daniel Agee, 47 Ed Templeton, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy, 60 Christophe Périgois

4 The Dead Are Glad to Be Remembered – Todd Hido (Atelier EXB)

Chosen by 16 Blind, 34 Fisheye editors, 46 Ola Søndenå, 64 Oliver Burgold

4 The Fold – Hoda Afshar (Loose Joints Publishing)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 25 Kate Schultze, 32 Youvalle Levy, 61 Sugar Paper

4 The Ramble, NYC 1969 – Arthur Tress (Stanley/Barker)

Chosen by 10 Richard Renaldi, 16 Blind, 40 Martin Amis, 60 Christophe Périgois

4 The Turtle and the Monk – Anaïs Lopez (self-published)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 12 Rianne van Dijck, 26 Ruben Lundgren, 64 Oliver Burgold

4 Ukraine – Eddy van Wessel (Fw:Books)

Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 26 Ruben Lundgren, 31 Focus editorial team, 44 Wim van Sinderen

4 Where the Light Came in – Judith Black (Stanley/Barker)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 37 Gerry Brakus, 40 Martin Amis, 55 Deanna Dikeman

4 Wish This Was Real – Tyler Mitchell (Aperture/ Atelier EXB)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 18 Ronan Deshaies and Clement Ghys, 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 62 Rachele Pari

4 Yoko – Masahisa Fukase (Akaaka)

Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 47 Ed Templeton, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy, 60 Christophe Périgois

3 Atlas of Echoes – Sarah Van Rij (Note Editions)

Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 40 Martin Amis

3 Binom – Nata Drachinskaya (self-published)

Chosen by 19 Mireia Alises, 56 Regina Anzenberger, 48 Julia Borissova

3 Borderland – Filippo Barbero (Witty Books)

Chosen by 10 Erin Hoyt Harris, 44 Wim van Sinderen, 53 Viktor Váradi

3 Bravo – Felipe Romero Beltrán (Loose Joints)

Chosen by 13 Katy Hundertmark, 48 Nadine Wietlisbach, 50 Narrativ

3 Calling The Birds Home – Cheryle St. Onge (L’Artiere)

Chosen by 13 Lucia De Stefani, 37 Gerry Brakus, 61 Sugar Paper

3 Ctrl Shift+J – Sayuri Ichida (the (M)editions)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 19 Mireia Alises, 58 Julia Borissova

3 Dissonances – Boris Snauwaert (Grani Edizioni)

Chosen by Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 20 Raymond Hagewoud

3 Distribution – Daniel Shea (Mack)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 32 Youvalle Levy, 33 Zach Ritter

3 Early Work – Stephen Shore (Mack)

Chosen by 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 47 Ed Templeton, 48 Paul Graham

3 Easy Days – Sage Sohier (Nazraeli Press)

Chosen by 28 Joe Dilworth, 39 Misha Kominek, 60 Christophe Périgois

3 El vuelo lleva al vuelo – Juanan Requena (Ediciones Anomalas)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 46 Ola Søndenå

3 Exactitudes – Ari Versluis en Ellie Uyttenbroek (Nai010 Publishers)

Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 12 Rianne van Dijck, 44 Wim van Sinderen

3 Feline – Tim Flach (Harry N. Abrams)

Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 30 Peter Dench, 62 Rachele Pari

3 Fruiting Bodies – Ying Ang (Perimeter Editions)

Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 35 Nick (TPG), 48 Laura González Palacios

3 Interesting Things – Salome Erni (self-published)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 61 Sugar Paper, 66 Sébastien Cuvelier

3 I Will Keep You in Good Company – Liz Johnson Artur (SPBH Editions)

Chosen by 10 Simon Bainbridge, 13 Katy Hundertmark, 35 Rawanne (TPG)

3 Entendue – Charlotte Dumas (Fw:Books)

Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 52 Brad Zellar

3 Konkursas – Francesca Allen (Steidl)

Chosen by 16 Blind, 37 Gerry Brakus, 41 Moira Gonzalez

3 Maputo Diary, 2000 – 2022 – Ditte Haarløv Johnsen (Disko Bay)

Chosen by 22 Colin Pantall, 50 Narrativa, 51 Blake Andrews

3 Mary’s Book – Robert Frank (MFA Publications)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 16 Blind

3 Punto Ciego – Santi Donaire (Palermo)

Chosen by 10 Raquel Villar Pérez, 19 Mireia Alises, 48 Jaime Narváez

3 Poppy Promises – Thomas Duffield (Witty Books)

Chosen by 19 Mireia Alises, 37 Gerry Brakus, 40 Martin Amis

3 Quartet – Daido Moriyama (Thames & Hudson)

Chosen by 22 Colin Pantall, 30 Peter Dench, 60 Christophe Périgois

3 Starlings – Jem Southam (Raft)

Chosen by 10 Martin Parr, 10 Rachel Barker, 10 Dewi Lewis

3 Tall Socks – Mark Cohen (Gost Books)

Chosen by 17 William Meyers, 47 Ed Templeton, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy

3 The Anthropocene Illusion – Zed Nelson (Guest Editions)

Chosen by 30 Peter Dench, 40 Martin Amis, 62 Rachele Pari

3 The Heart of the Matter – Carrie Mae Weems, edited by Sarah Hermanson Meister (Aperture)

Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 16 Blind, 21 VSCO’s editorial team

3 The Nineties x Anna Sui – Anna Sui (Rizzoli)

Chosen by 6 Claire Valentine McCartney, 8 Carly Tagen-Dye, 41 Moira Gonzalez

3 To Be Developed, To Be Continued – Odette England (Tall Poppy Press)

Chosen by 10 Daniel Boetker-Smith, 23 Gabriela Cendoya, 55 Montserrat Andrée Carty

3 Track – Hajime Kimura (Neck)

Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 39 Misha Kominek, 64 Oliver Burgold

3 What if Jeff were a Butterfly? – Jeff Mermelstein (Void)

Chosen by 33 Zach Ritter, 37 Gerry Brakus, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy

3 Yellow Pine – Harrison Miller (Underlife)

Chosen by 3 Christer Ek 5 Robin Titchener, 7 Gabriela Cendoya

2 selections

2 4 sides of the table – Ruth Lauer Manenti (RM)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 40 Martin Amis

2 Acédia – Louise Desnos (Witty Books)
Chosen by 34 Fisheye editors, 65 Cas Bochner

2 Agony in the Garden – Lúa Ribeira (Dalpine)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 39 Misha Kominek

2 An index of botanical desires-notes on touch – Madeline Cass (plant thief press)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 22 Colin Pantall

2 A Period in Time: Looking Back While Moving Forward – Ed Kashi (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History)
Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 59 Photobook Journal

2 Asa Nisi Masa – Blake Andrews (Eyeshot)
Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 47 Ed Templeton

2 Atlantic Coast – Anastasia Samoylova (Aperture)
Chosen by 16 Blind, 21 VSCO’s editorial team)

2 Atlantis – Oriane Thomasson (The Eriskay Connection)
Chosen by 13 Rosa Lacavalla, 46 Ola Søndenå

2 Atlas Of The New World – Giulia Piermartiri and Edoardo Delille (L’Artiere)
Chosen by 29 Mélissa Jollivet, 42 Giuseppe Oliverio

2 Atmosphere – Takeshi Tokitsu (self-published)
Chosen by 10 Hideko Kataoka, 60 Christophe Périgois

2 Balloons – Jens Klein (Spector)
Chosen by 2 Clément Chéroux), 67 Clerk b 👓

2 Billions Served – Richard Renaldi (Deadbeat Club)
Chosen by 45 Daniel Agee, 47 Ed Templeton

2 Blood Green — Curran Hatleberg (TBW Books)
Chosen by 49 Stephen Goldblatt, 60 Christophe Périgois

2 Blue Sun – Genesis Báez (Capricious Publishing)
Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 21 VSCO’s editorial team

2 Buried in Style: Artistic Coffins and Funerary Culture in Ghana – Regula Tschumi (Kehrer Verlag)
Chosen by 10 Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, 30 Peter Dench

2 Cheryomushki — Nikolay Bakhare (Stanley/Barker)
Chosen by 49 Stephen Goldblatt, 59 Photobook Journal, editorial team

2 Christmas – Lee Friedlander (Eakins Press Foundation)
Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 52 Brad Zellar

2 City Confessions #4 Milano – Ed Templeton (Super Labo)
Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy

2 Constant Bloom – Lucas Foglia (Nazraeli Press)
Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy

2 Coreen Simpson: A Monograph – Coreen Simpson (Aperture)
Chosen by 10 Noelle Théard, 21 VSCO’s editorial team

2 Defense Language – Claire Beckett (GOST Books)
Chosen by 10 Kristen Gresh, 66 Sébastien Cuvelier

2 De grote boom, het vergeten verhaal van de Boeroes in Suriname – Ton Groot Haar (Lecturis)
Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 12 Rianne van Dijck

2 Democratic Vistas – Jason Lee and Tim Carpenter (Smog Press)
Chosen by 52 Brad Zellar, 57 Ted aka sixteensecondshappy

2 Dream Within a Dream – Masakazu Murakami (Zen Foto Gallery)
Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 40 Martin Amis

2 Drifting Stones – Paul Cupido (iikki Books)
Chosen by 19 Mireia Alises, 53 Viktor Váradi

2 Edges of Landscape – Bas Ketelaars (The Eriskay Connection)
Chosen by 46 Ola Søndenå, 67 Clerk b 👓

2 El Paraíso Come Carne – Elena de la Rúa (Artifact)
Chosen by 10 Ângela Berlinde, 19 Mireia Alises

2 Firelight – Amy Friend (L’Artiere)
Chosen by 29 Mélissa Jollivet, 37 Gerry Brakus

2 Floating Signifiers – Daan Paans (The Eriskay Connection)
Chosen by 12 Rianne van Dijck, 26 Ruben Lundgren

2 Forever & Never – Dan Estabrook (Artsuite)
Chosen by 10 Tom Gitterman, 55 Michael Honegger

2 Fragments of Fietas – David Goldblatt (Mack)
Selected by 17 William Meyers, 18 Claire Guillot

2 Freedom – Erwin Olaf (Hannibal Books/Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam)
Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 31 editorial team Focus

2 Geography – Zora Sicher (Dashwood)
Chosen by 5 Robin Titchener, 39 Misha Kominek

2 Ginza: Through the Eyes of a Salaryman 1950-1990 – Jiro Kochi (Sokyusha)
Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 47 Ed Templeton

2 Ground Rules – Alejandro Cartagena (Aperture)
Chosen by 48 Tania Franco Klein, 49 Stephen Goldblatt

2 Gumsucker – Rory King (Charcoal Press)
Chosen by 40 Martin Amis, 47 Ed Templeton

2 Homo Ludens – Masahisa Fukase (Akaaka)
Chosen by 47 Ed Templeton, 60 Christophe Périgois

2 I’m So Happy You’re Here – Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now – Pauline Vermare a.o.(Aperture/Exhibitions International)
Chosen by 30 Peter Dench, 62 Rachele Pari

2 Intimate Distance II – Todd Hido (Aperture)
Chosen by 46 Ola Søndenå, 60 Christophe Périgois

2 Invisible Sun – Amani Willett (Dust Collective)
Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 10 Rebecca Norris Webb

2 I Saw a Tree Bearing Stones in the Place of Apples and Pears – Emilia Martin (Yogurt Editions)
Chosen by 34 Fisheye editors, 42 Giuseppe Oliverio

2 It’s Hard To Stop Rebels That Time Travel – Raymond Thompson Jr (Void)
Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas Kin, 10 Steven Evans

2 IUZZA: Goliarda Sapienza – Francesca Todde (Depart Pour L’Image)
Chosen by 42 Giuseppe Oliverio, 53 Viktor Váradi

2 Journals Vol. 1 – Davide Sorrenti (Idea Books)
Chosen by 35 Albert (TPG), 41 Moira Gonzalez

2 Kalabongó - Jorge Panchoaga (Editorial RM)
Chosen by 50 Narrativa, 66 Sébastien Cuvelier

2 Kill Me Softly – Hot Fudge is Here (Super Labo)
Chosen by 36 John Sypal, 47 Ed Templeton

2 L.A. Polaroids - Robby Müller (Stanley/Barker)
Chosen by 16 Blind, 37 Gerry Brakus

2 Meu pai morreu três vezes – Clara Simas (Propagulo)
Chosen by 42 Giuseppe Oliverio, 48 Mariela Sancari

2 Migration Patterns – Brandon Ruffin (Setanta Books)
Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 21 VSCO’s editorial team

2 Moon City – Mimi Mollica (self-published/Dewi Lewis)
Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 64 Oliver Burgold

2 More – Blommers & Schumm (Roma Publications)
Chosen by 10 Narda van ‘t Veer, 12 Rianne van Dijck

2 North North South – Ayda Gragossian (Gost Books)
Chosen by 38 Kalel Koven and Valentine Zeler, 45 Daniel Agee

2 Oasis: Trying to find a way out of nowhere – Jill Furmanovsky, Noel Gallagher (Thames & Hudson)
Chosen by 6 Claire Valentine McCartney, 8 Carly Tagen-Dye

2 Our Hidden Room – Mohamed Hassan (Ediciones Posibles/Fundación Photographic Social Vision/Phree)
Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 13+22 Colin Pantall

2 Pas de culte – Kienjet & Van Zoetendaal (Van Zoetendaal Publishers)
Chosen by 12 Rianne van Dijck, 46 Ola Søndenå

2 Portrait of J – Takashi Homma (Dashwood / Session Press)
Chosen by 5 Robin Titchener, 40 Martin Amis

2 Radio Ballast – François-Xavier Gbré (Atelier EXB)
Chosen by 2 Clément Chéroux, 16 Blind

2 Ripples in the Pond – Bharat Sikka (Fw:Books)
Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 65 Cas Bochner

2 Sacred Place – Balarama Heller (TIS Books)
Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 21 VSCO’s editorial team

2 Screenshots From A Series Of Videos About A Rice Field And Its Surroundings – Cintia Tortosa Santisteba (Chose Commune)
Chosen by 13 Camilla Marrese, 20 Raymond Hagewoud

2 Setting Sun – David O’Mara (Folium)
Chosen by 3, Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya

2 Shipwreck of Dreams – Emilio Nasser (Artphilein Editions)
Chosen by 10 Giuseppe Oliverio, 13 Krzysztof Candrowicz

2 Süü – Taemin Ha (Chose Commune)
Chosen by 18 Gaspard Dhellemmes, 40 Martin Amis

2 Territorium – Henk Wildschut (self-published)
Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 26 Ruben Lundgren

2 The Boyfriend Casting – Rosie Harriet Ellis (Libraryman)
Chosen by Tim Clark and Thomas King, 10 Manila Camarini

2 The Look – Michelle Obama (Crown)
Chosen by 6 Claire Valentine McCartney, 8 Carly Tagen-Dye

2 The Overmorrow – Damien Daufresne (Lamaindonne)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 40 Martin Amis

2 The Reservoir – Mimi Plumb (Nazraeli Press)
Chosen by 47 Ed Templeton, 49 Stephen Goldblatt)

2 The Stillness of Life – Don McCullin (Gost Books)
Chosen by 16 Blind, 30 Peter Dench

2 The Western Edge – Mark Ruwedel (Mack)
Chosen by 1 Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy, 7 Gabriela Cendoya

2 This is ̶n̶o̶t̶ about the Devil Inside – David Ameye (self-published)
Chosen by 3 Christer Ek, 7 Gabriela Cendoya

2 The Snow Abides – Nina Viviana Cangialosi (Void)
Chosen by 13 Danaé Panchaud, 58 Julia Borissova

2 The Wizard of Awe – Kevin Cooley (The Eriskay Collection)
Chosen by 55 Aline Smithson, 59 Photobook Journal

2 Thing – Jungjin Lee (Datz Press)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 64 Oliver Burgold

2 Through a River Darkly – Adrianna Ault (self-published)
Chosen by 7 Gabriela Cendoya, 46 Ola Søndenå

2 Transcripts of a Sea – Stephan Vanfleteren (Hannibal Books)
Chosen by 9 Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema, 31 editorial team Focus

2 Trembling Earth – David Walter Banks (BS Publishing)
Chosen by 11 Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi, 24 Molly Roberts

2 Unyielding Floods – Peter Caton (Dewi Lewis)
Chosen by 30 Peter Dench, 62 Rachele Pari

2 Utterly Lazy and Inattentive: Martin Parr in Words and Pictures – Martin Parr and Wendy Jones (Penguin Books)
Chosen by 29 Rosy Santella, 62 Rachele Pari

2 Virgin Suicides – Corinne Day, edited by Sofia Coppola / Important Flowers (Mack)
Chosen by 5 Robin Titchener, 6 Claire Valentine McCartney

2 We Will Return to You – Hannah Altman (Saint Lucy Books)
Chosen by 21 VSCO’s editorial team, 59 Photobook Journal’s editorial team

2 With Love. From an Invader – Yan Wang Preston (The Eriskay Connection)
Chosen by 46 Ola Søndenå, 68 Tung

🎅
Don’t forget to study the > List of Lists, which links to the original lists and motivations of the List-makers. Some of them carry great books you’ve never heard of. For example, Christer Ek’s list (3) and John Sypal's (36) expose hidden gems.
Look for it in the ‘chapter’ after this one. But first, I introduce the makers.

The List of Lists and List-makers will get an update as soon as I receive or find a new year-end list. This way you can, if you wish, check if I have seen a certain lit before you send it. You can send them to my Substack, Instagram, Facebook or to viorys at gmail. I’m counting on your cooperation, dear photobook community!

Updated 15 Jan, 21:30 (UTC+1)

1. Suzanne Révy is a writer, educator and photographer with an MFA from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. She previously worked as a photography editor. Her photographs have been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout New England and in New York.
   Elin Spring is the founder and editor of What Will You Remember? She is a contributing writer to other magazines and has provided essays for various exhibition catalogues. She judges photography competitions and exhibitions.

2. Clément Chéroux is a French photography historian and the chief curator of Photography at MoMA. He has held senior curatorial positions at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

3. Christer Ek is a photographer, educator and photobook collector. He just started a new job as the director of a photography institute in France.

4. Tim Clark is editor-in-chief at 1000 Words and shares the seat of artistic director for Fotografia Europea in Reggio Emilia. He teaches at Falmouth University.

   Thomas King is an editorial Assistant at 1000 Words and is undertaking an MA in Literary Studies (Critical Theory) at Goldsmiths, University of London.

5. Robin Titchener has been collecting photo books (monographs as they were then) for the last thirty years, based purely on his taste and instinct.

6. Claire Valentine McCartney is the culture editor at W Magazine. She was an editor at Nylon and Paper and wrote for York Magazine’s The Cut, Vulture, and the Brooklyn Paper.

7. Gabriela Cendoya is a Spanish photobook collector and a photobook blogger. This year, she sold over 3000 books from her collection to Museo San Telmo in San Sebastian. They had been on display and at the centre of activities there for several years already. She will never be without a book, though; there was plenty at home to share with visitors this year’s World Photobook Day generously.

8. Carly Tagen-Dye assists with planning and coordination of book coverage and People. She writes for both print and digital platforms of the magazine.

9. Mark Moorman is kunstredacteur van de Volkskrant. Hij schrijft vooral over series, films, fotografie en populaire cultuur.
   Merel Bem is schrijver en kunstjournalist. Voor de Volkskrant schrijft ze over fotografie en beeldvorming.
   Arno Haijtema is sinds 1984 redacteur van de Volkskrant. Hij schrijft zo’n 25 jaar over fotografie en is daarnaast tv-recensent.

10. Ruby Rees-Sheridan is an assistant curator, Photography, National Portrait Gallery

    Noelle Théard is the senior photo editor at The New Yorker.

    Alasdair Foster is the publisher of Talking Pictures.

    Andreas Müller-Pohle is an artist and publisher, European Photography

    Aya Musa is a curator at Foam.

    Hideko Kataoka is the photo editor at Newsweek Japan and founder and director at Miiraii Creative.

    Ihiro Hayami is the founder of T3 Photo Festival Tokyo.

    Irina Chmyreva, PhD, is the art director of the PhotoVisa International Festival of Photography.

    Erin Hoyt Harris is executive director of Filter Photo.

    Liz Sales is an art writer and educator.

    Manila Camarini – senior picture editor (D la Repubblica)

    Martin Parr, the photographer who was loved by everyone and who always had time for others. He created over 100 books and has been incredibly important for our beloved photobook land.

    Rachel Barker is co-founder and director of publishing house Stanley/Barker.

    Dewi Lewis is the owner of Dewi Lewis Publishing.

    Paul Schiek is the founder and creative director of TBW Books.

    Roman Härer is the creative director at plainpicture.

    Roy Kahmann is the director of Hungry Eye Group

    Tom Gitterman runs the Gitterman Gallery.

    Xavier Canonne is the director of the Le Musée de la Photographie.

    Raquel Villar Pérez is editorial manager of WOPHA and curator at Cómo ser Fotógrafa.

    Arianna Rinaldo is an art director, educator and curator at PhEST.

    Mary Virginia Swanson is an author, educator and advisor.

    Sara Urbaez is a photo editor.

    Todd Hido is a photographer.

    Claartje van Dijk is senior curator of FOAM.

    Rebecca Norris Webb is a photographer and poet.

    Francesca Marani is the senior photo editor at Vogue Italia.

    Simon Bainbridge is the editor at the British Journal of Photography.

    Elena Boille is deputy editor at Internazionale.

    Enrico Stefanelli is the founder and artistic director of Photolux Festival.

    Kristen Gresh is the senior curator of photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

    Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova is the founder of Women Street Photographers.

    Yuri Yamada is a curator at the TOP Museum.

    Sacha Lecca is a deputy photo editor at Rolling Stone.

    Andreas Trampe is co-founder of Hamburg Portfolio Review.

    Ângela Berlinde is a photography curator.

    Chris Pichler is the founder and publisher of Nazraeli Press.

    Clare Grafik is the head of exhibitions at The Photographers’ Gallery.

    Azu Nwagbogu is the director of AAF/LagosPhoto Festival.

    Richard Renaldi is a photographer.

    Brian Clamp is the director of CLAMP gallery in Manhattan.

    Daniel Boetker-Smith is the director of the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Australia.

    Mark Sealy is the director of Autograph.

    Sam Barzilay is the creative director and co-founder of Photoville.

    Monique Deschaines is the director/owner of Euqinom Gallery

    Narda van ‘t Veer is the founder of The Ravestijn Gallery.

    Sophie Wright is a writer.

    Giuseppe Oliverio is the founder and artistic director of PhMuseum.

    Alexa Becker is a publishing consultant and photography coach.

    Joel Meyerowitz is a photographer.

    Steven Evans is the executive director of FotoFest.

    Chloe Coleman is the senior photo editor, Opinions at The Washington Post.

    Ron Haviv is co-founder of The VII Foundation.

    Magali Duzant is an artist and writer.

    Yumi Goto is a publisher, curator, author, and director of Reminders Photography Stronghold

11. Donny Bajohr is the associate photography editor at the Smithsonian

    Jeff Campagna is a photo editor at Smithsonian magazine

    Quentin Nardi is a visual storyteller, photo editor and director.

12. Rianne van Dijck is the editor of Photography for NRC.

13. Giuseppe Oliverio, see 10 (and 42).

    Erik Kessels is an artist, designer, curator, and PhMuseum Curae head professor.

    Rosa Lacavalla is a photographer, visual artist, and PhMuseum community manager and education coordinator.

    Danaé Panchaud is a curator, museologist, lecturer, and the director of Centre de la photographie Genève, as well as a juror for the PhMuseum 2024 Women Photographer Grant.

    Camilla Marrese is a graphic designer, photographer, and visual editor for PhMuseum.

    Krzysztof Candrowicz is a curator, artistic director, and researcher, as well as a PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant partner.

    Lucia De Stefani is a writer, editor, and editorial contributor of PhMuseum.

    Nicolas Janowski is a lens-based artist, curator, and mentor for PhMuseum.

    Karolina Kluza is a Cultural Studies researcher and PhMuseum intern.

    Colin Pantall is a senior lecturer in Photography at the University of South Wales. He writes for PhMuseum, BJP and other publications. His book, All Quiet on the Home Front, was published in 2017.

14. Tim Carpenter is a photographer, writer, and educator based in Brooklyn and central Illinois.

15. George Slade is a writer, curator, historian, and consultant on artistic and photographic matters.

16. Blind is a bilingual, French and English online magazine that publishes daily photography news from around the world.

17. William Myers is a photographer who writes on photography for the Wall Street Journal.

18. Guillaume Delacroix, Ronan Deshaies, Gaspard Dhellemmes, Clement Ghys, Claire Guillot and Emmanuelle Lequeux are editors of the French newspaper Le Monde’s department ‘M Le magazine du Monde’.

19. Mireia Alises, photographer, was the head of the Historical Photographic Archive at the Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya (IEFC) and is the founder and coordinator of Photo Art Books. She curates the photobook section at the Revela’t International Analog Photography Festival.

20. Raymond Hagewoud is a photographer from the Netherlands. He mainly focuses on landscape and nature.

21. VSCO is a member-based, community-driven platform that equips photographers with tools, community, and exposure for their creative and professional endeavours. The editorial team compiled its list.

22. Colin Pantall, see 13.

23. Gabriela Cendoya, see 7

24. Molly Roberts is a photographer, curator, educator and visual editor. She is co-director of WPOW (Women Photojournalists of Washington) and a former photography editor at National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Washington Post Magazine, and other outlets.

25. Kate Schultze is a photographic artist exploring the everydayness of European identity, in class, cultural transition and memory. She is the author of ‘mind the gap, luv.’ She has exhibited internationally and works at Bildband Berlin.

26. Ruben Lundgren is the senior curator of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. A curator and photographer with broad international experience, ranging from photojournalist at de Volkskrant to co-author of The Chinese Photobook.

27. Alex Prior is a photobook collector. He’s known as photobook_reviewer on Instagram.

28. Joe Dilworth is a photographer and author of the new Everything, All At Once Forever, published by Kominek. He’s also the boss at Bildband Berlin.

29. Elena Boille is the deputy director of Intenazionale and is responsible for the photography department. She graduated in art history and is one of the founders of the weekly.

    Giovanna D’Ascenzi has been a photo editor for Internazionale since 2007.

    Rosy Santella is a photo editor and has been working at Internazionale since 2010.

    Maysa Moroni, photo editor, has been working at Internazionale since 2008

    Rosy Santella is a photo editor and has been working at Internazionale since 2010. She writes on the Flash blog.

    Mélissa Jollivet is a photo editor and has been working at Internazionale since 2000. She has a degree in literature.

30. Peter Dench is a photographer, writer, curator and presenter based in London. He is one of the co-curators of Photo North and has been exhibited dozens of times. He has published several books. He wrote a list for Amateur Photographer.

31. Focus is one of the oldest still-existing photography magazines in the world. For 111 years, it has been a breeding ground for talent like Erwin Olaf, Carl De Keyzer, Inez van Lamsweerde and Rineke.

32. Youvalle Levy, born in Tel Aviv in 1991, is an artist, photographer, and founder of Replika Publishing. She also works at Bildband Berlin. She studied photography at BTK Berlin and architecture at Universität der Künste.

33. Jonah Goldman Kay is a writer and editor based in New Orleans.

    Karen Gu writes for The Believer, The Margins, and McSweeney's Quarterly. She is a Kundiman Fellow and a 2018 Jack Jones Retreat Yi Dae Up Fellow.

    Zach Ritter is a writer based in NYC. His writing has appeared in the Brooklyn Rail and Hyperallergic.

    Quinn Schoen is a curator, writer, and PhD candidate in art history at the Graduate Center, CUNY. He is currently the archivist and researcher at the Mel Bochner Estate and a program associate at the A&L Berg Foundation.

    Jennie Waldow is a PhD candidate in Art History at Stanford University, where she studies postwar American art with a focus on 1960s and 1970s Conceptualism.

    Elizabeth Wiet is a writer, editor, and curator based in New York City.

    Re’al Christian is a writer, editor, and art historian based in Queens, NY.

    Megan N. Liberty is the art books editor at the Brooklyn Rail with an interest in text and image, artists’ books and ephemera, and archive curatorial practices.

34. Fisheye is a bimonthly magazine dedicated to global photography news from an economic, aesthetic, cultural, technical, and sociological perspective.

35. Chloe, Albert, Tom, Martin, Rawanne, Lydia, Lucie, Dilly, Nick: the staff of The Photographers’ Gallery.

36. John Sypal is a tall man in Japan. He is a member of Totem Pole Photo Gallery and shares photos of photo culture and cameras at Tokyo Camera Style.

37. Gerry Brakus is the Creative Editor of the New Statesman. She has overseen covers, photography and illustration from Westminster to Washington.

38. Kalel Koven is a documentary photographer and artistic director.

    Valentine Zeler is a documentary photographer.

39. Misha Kominek owns a photography gallery, a photobookstore, and a photobook publishing house, all called Kominek, in the same street as Bildband Berlin.

40. Martin Amis is the director of Photobookstore.co.uk and a photographer. This month, he released his latest photobook, Reverie.

41. Moira Gonzalez writes for Wonderland and other fashion magazines. She has a bachelor’s degree in Creative Direction and Fashion Styling, as well as a master’s Degree in Fashion Journalism.

42. Giuseppe Oliverio, see 10 (and 13).

43. Alec Soth is an American Magnum Photographer who has had various books of his work published by major publishers as well as self-published through his own Little Brown Mushroom.

44. Wim van Sinderen is a Dutch retired journalist and curator who has worked as the curator at Kunsthal in Rotterdam and curator at the Fotomuseum Den Haag.

45. Daniel Agee is a photographer, a marketeer, producer and an independent publisher of photo books at Good Fight.

46. Ola Søndenå works at the Department of Special Collections at the University of Bergen Library; privately, he collects photobooks.

47. Ed Templeton’s work reflects human behaviour with emphasis on youth subcultures, religious affiliations, and suburban conventions. He’s the author of over 30 books and many zines. His work is in permanent worldwide collections.

48. Sema D’Acosta is an independent curator and art critic, specialising in 21st-century photography.

    Nicolás Combarro is a photographer.

    Tania Franco Klein is a photographer.

    Laura González Palacios is the director of Chiquita Room, a contemporary art centre that operates as a gallery, artist residency and publisher of artist books.

    Paul Graham is a photographer.

    Jaime Narváez is a graphic designer.

    Vitor Nieves is the artistic director of Conjuntos da Imagem.

    Mariela Sancari is a photographer.

    Sonia Voss is an independent curator.

    Nadine Wietlisbach is the director of Fotomuseum Winterthur.

49. Stephen Goldblatt runs a successful advertisement business in Mille Valley, which leaves him time to hunt for photobooks. His Instagram account is called Photobookfinds.

50. NARRATIVA is a Lisbon-based centre that shares and promotes photography as a form of expression and communication. It organises projects, publications, exhibitions, masterclasses, and it offers a library and an award.

51. Blake Andrews is a photographer and writer based in Eugene, Oregon. He reviewed 117 photobooks on Instagram (and even more in total). This year Eyeshot published his monograph, Asa Nisa Masa.

52. Brad Zellar is an American author, journalist, and cultural historian whose work often explores the overlooked. He has worked extensively with photographers like Alec Soth, Jason Vaughn and Ramond Meeks on projects that combine images and text.

53. Viktor Váradi is a photographer and educator with a Master's degree in Photography from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest.

54. Untitled | Ukrainian photography is an online gallery that showcases all important aspects of Ukrainian photography, including events, photobook reviews, and interviews with photographers about their projects.

55. Aline Smithson is an interdisciplinary artist, editor, filmmaker, and educator based in Los Angeles. She is the Lenscratch founder.
    The following persons are all editors for Lenscratch:

    Sara Bennett, a 2024 Guggenheim fellow, is a former public defender who primarily photographs women with life sentences to draw attention to the problems of mass incarceration. Her work has been widely exhibited.

    Michael Honegger is a visual artist who explores self-portraiture, memory, and family, as well as an investigation of the ironies of American culture through an expatriate’s eye. Blow Up Press published his book The Need to Know.

    Montserrat Andrée Carty (Jusseaume) is a writer and photographer who has worked in various areas of the art world.
    Elizabeth Stone is a Montana-based visual artist who explores themes of memory and time, deeply rooted in the ambiguity of photography. Stone’s work has been exhibited and is held in collections of several museums.
    Laila Nahar is a lens-based artist in California. Her handmade artist books are in permanent collections of several US university libraries. She recently retired from the high-tech industry after 24 years to be a full-time photobook maker.
    Epiphany Knedler is an interdisciplinary artist and educator, serving as an assistant professor of art and art history, as well as the coordinator of the art department in Aberdeen. She co-curates for the collective Midwest Nice Art.
    Linda Alterwitz is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on photography. Her practice envisions the unseen rhythms of the human body and our relationship to the natural world, emphasising choice, trust, and collective experience.
    Douglas Breault is an interdisciplinary artist who overlaps elements of photography, painting, sculpture, and video. His work has been collected, published, and exhibited nationally and internationally.
    Karen Bullock creates documentary-style photographs of the American South, with a focus on expressions of faith, considerations of home, and the enduring spirit of nature. Her work was featured in over 30 exhibitions.
    Deanna Dikeman received an Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship in 1996 and the United States Artists Booth Fellowship in 2008. She is a 2023 Guggenheim Fellow. Her book Leaving and Waving won the 2021 Prix Nadar and was a finalist for the 2021 Paris Photo/Aperture Foundation First PhotoBook Award.

56. Regina Anzenberger is an artist, curator, and founder of the Anzenberger Agency, Gallery, and bookshop in Vienna, Austria.

57. Ted, aka sixteensecondshappy, shares his extensive collection of photobooks and thoughts on photography on his Instagram accounts.

58. Julia Borrisova employs a greater variety of photographic techniques and styles. Her interest is in the conceptual side of the work. Living in St. Petersburg, she focused her artistic expression through photo book projects.

59. Paul Anderson, Brian Arnold, Melanie Chapman, Gerhard Clausing, Lee Halvorsen, Steve Harp, Hans Hickerson, Brian O’Neill, Matt Schneider, Douglas Stockdale, and Rudy Vega: the all-volunteer editorial team of Photobook Journal

60. Christophe Périgois is a photobook lover who shares his readings on social media.

61. Sugar Paper is a cultural space dedicated to contemporary photography and photographic books, based in Modena.

62. Rachele Pari is the Art editor for BMB Live Studio Magazine, which brings a ‘pop perspective’ on contemporary culture.

63. Camille Bois-Martin is a contributor at GESTE/S Magazine, with experience from previous roles at Numéro Magazine, Beaux Arts & Cie, Toute La Culture, and Flammarion. She holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Journalism in Arts and Media.

    Nathan Merchadier has recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Cultural Journalism. He writes about music, film, and fashion for Numéro magazine. Occasionally, he also photographs the personalities he meets during interviews.

    Matthieu Jacquet is the deputy editor-in-chief and section editor at Numéro Magazine.

64. Oliver Burgold is a photo enthusiast, avid photobook collector and deconstructor/resampler of art.

65. Cas Bochner is a photographer, artist or “guy with a camera”, a photobook lover in the Rhineland, Germany, when not on the road.

66. Sébastien Cuvelier is a Belgian photographer with a Master’s degree, having published four monographs. His work was in several solo and group exhibitions.
    He is a member of .tiff and Futures, supported by FOMU Antwerp.

67. Clerk b 👓 is responsible for the Moom Bookshop inventory.

68. Tung is a store attendant at the Moom Bookshop, specialised in hunting down missing parcels worldwide.

69. Shop assistant m 🕊️ works at the Moom Bookshop.

70. Store attendant CA 💆🏻‍♂️ is responsible for Moom’s monthly web page opening.

    

Updated 16 Jan, 21:30 (UTC+1)

The List of Lists and List-makers will get an update as soon as I receive or find a new year-end list. This way you can, if you wish, check if I have seen a certain lit before you send it. You can send them to my Substack, Instagram, Facebook or to viorys at gmail. Let’s rock this party together!

1. Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
   Our Favorite Photo Books of 2025, What Will You Remember

2. Clément Chéroux
   Some of the 2025 PhotoBooks that stayed in my mind a bit longer than an Instagram post, Instagram

3. Christer Ek
   Avent photobook calendar 2025

4. Tim Clark and Thomas King
   Top 10 (+1) Photobooks of 2025, 1000 Words

5. Robin Titchener
   Photobooks of 2025 - A personal selection, Robin Titchener, Art Photobook Reviews

6. Claire Valentine McCartney

   The Best Coffee Table Books of 2025, W Magazine

7. Gabriela Cendoya,

   Una lista demasiado larga, un año más, Gabriela’s Substack, part I

8. Carly Tagen-Dye

   The Best Celebrity Photo Books of 2025: Dolly Parton, Rocky Horror, SNL and More, People

9. Mark Moorman, Merel Bem and Arno Haijtema

   De beste Nederlandse fotoboeken van 2025, de Volkskrant

10. Ruby Rees-Sheridan, Noelle Théard, Alasdair Foster, Andreas Müller-Pohle, Aya Musa, Hideko Kataoka, Ihiro Hayami, Irina Chmyreva, Erin Hoyt Harris, Liz Sales, Manila Camarini, Martin Parr, Rachel Barker, Dewi Lewis, Paul Schiek, Roman Härer, Roy Kahmann, Tom Gitterman, Xavier Canonne, Raquel Villar Pérez, Arianna Rinaldo, Mary Virginia Swanson, Sara Urbaez, Todd Hido, Claartje van Dijk, Rebecca Norris Webb, Francesca Marani, Simon Bainbridge, Elena Boille, Enrico Stefanelli, Kristen Gresh, Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova, Yuri Yamada, Sacha Lecca, Andreas Trampe, Ângela Berlinde, Chris Pichler, Clare Grafik, Azu Nwagbogu, Richard Renaldi, Brian Clamp, Daniel Boetker-Smith, Mark Sealy, Sam Barzilay, Monique Deschaines, Narda van ‘t Veer, Sophie Wright, Giuseppe Oliverio, Alexa Becker, Joel Meyerowitz, Steven Evans, Chloe Coleman, Ron Haviv, Magali Duzant, Yumi Goto.
    Favourite Photobooks 2025 — The Big List, Lensculture

11. Donny Bajohr, Jeff Campagna and Quentin Nardi

    The Ten Best Photography Books of 2025, Smithsonian Magazine

12. Rianne van Dijck
    Wat zijn de mooiste fotoboeken van 2025?, NRC

13. Giuseppe Oliverio, Erik Kessels, Rosa Lacavalla, Danaé Panchaud, Camilla Marrese, Krzysztof Candrowicz, Lucia De Stefani, Nicolas Janowski, Karolina Kluza, Colin Pantall.

    PhMuseum Loved Photobooks 2025, PhMuseum website

14. Tim Carpenter
    Three books that have been in constant rotation in 2025, Instagram

15. George Slade

    Top Notch, in the subscriber chat

16. Blind Magazine

    Our Selection of Photobooks to Gift This Christmas, a selection of the finest photobooks published in 2025, Blind

17. William Myers

    Photography Books of 2025: Putting Faces to Names, The Wall Street Journal

18. Guillaume Delacroix, Ronan Deshaies, Gaspard Dhellemmes, Clement Ghys, Claire Guillot and Emmanuelle Lequeux

    Dix beaux livres de photos à offrir à Noël, Le Monde

19. Mireia Alises
    15 fotolibros recomendados del 2025, Photo Art Books

20. Raymond Hagewoud, aka Hedgeforest

    My favorite photobooks from 2025, Instagram

21. editorial team of VSCO

    VSCO’s Favorite Photobooks of 2025

22. Colin Pantall
    Some of my favourite books for 2025, on Facebook

    and on Instagram

23. Gabriela Cendoya, Part II
    There’s always more…
    Pequeño anexo a la larga lista de fotolibros, Gabriela’s Substack, part I

24. Molly Roberts

    Molly’s Top 10 Photo Books of 2025, 10fps podcast

25. Kate Schultze

    My top 5, Instagram Bildband Berlin

26. Ruben Lundgren

    Personal pile of ten great photobooks published in 2025 by Dutch makers, Instagram
    and on Facebook

27. Alex Prior

    Another year, another selection of exceptional books by exceptional photographers, publishers, book designers and makers, Instagram

28. Joe Dilworth

    Staff’s Favourite Photobooks of 2025 Day II: Joe’s List, BildBand Berlin Instagram

29. Elena Boille, Giovanna D'Ascenzi, Maysa Moroni, Rosy Santella, Mélissa Jollivet and Maysa Moroni

    I libri di fotografia del 2025, Internazionale

30. Peter Dench

    The best photo books of 2025, Amateur Photographer

31. Editorial team Focus

    10 tips van de redactie: dé fotoboeken van 2025

32. Youvalle Levy

    Our staff’s favourite photobooks of 2025: Youvalle’s picks, Bildband Berlin

33. Jonah Goldman Kay, Karen Gu, Zach Ritter, Quinn Schoen, Jennie Waldow, Elizabeth Wiet, Re’al Christian, Megan N. Liberty

    I selected the photobooks and artist’s books in which photography plays a narrating role, which were all but one. Correct me if I’m wrong.

    The Best Art Books of 2025, The Brooklyn Rail

34. Fisheye editors
    3 livres à offrir à Noël : réel, fiction et mode, Fisheye Magazine

    4 livres à offrir à Noël : partons en vadrouille, Fisheye Magazine

35. Chloe, Albert, Tom, Martin, Rawanne, Lydia, Lucie, Dilly, Nick
    The Photographers’ Gallery staff picks, Instagram

36. John Sypal

    My Favorite Photobooks 2025, Photo & Culture Tokyo

37. Gerry Brakus

    Photo books of the year 2025, The New Statesman

38. Kalel Koven & Valentine Zeler

    XMAS 2025 – Photo Books Selection, In Frame

39. Misha Kominek

    Some of my favorite books of the year, Instagram

40. Martin Amis

    Photobooks of 2025: Part I, Photobookstore

    Photobooks of 2025: Part II, Photobookstore

41. Moira Gonzalez

    The Fashion Books, Photobooks & Zines Everyone Wants This Year, Wonderland.

42. Giuseppe Oliverio
    Una guida ai 12 fotolibri di nicchia da regalare a Natale, per chi sotto l’albero desidera trovare una piccola opera d’arte, Vogue Italia

43. Alec Soth

    Picking Favorites: On Martin Parr and my favorite photobook of 2025, YouTube

44. Wim van Sinderen

    Some fascinating, perfectly curated photo books that were released this year, on Instagram

45. Daniel Agee
    Top 10 Photo Books of 2025 – Daniel’s List, 10FPS

46. Ola Søndenå
    My annual photobook list, 2025 edition, on Facebook

    and on Instagram

47. Ed Templeton

    I secretly liked my year end homework assignment and kinda missed doing it this year, so I have self-assigned myself the task. On Instagram

48. Sema D’Acosta, Nicolás Combarro, Tania Franco Klein, Laura González Palacios, Paul Graham, Jaime Narváez, Vitor Nieves, Mariela Sancari, Sonia Voss, Nadine Wietlisbach

    Los mejores libros de fotografía de 2025, El País

49. Stephen Goldblatt

    Here’s my list. On Instagram

50. NARRATIVA

    NARRATIVA | Livros do ano | 2025. On Instagram

51. Blake Andrews
    Long Tail Photobooks of 2025. On Instagram

52. Brad Zellar

    2025 photobooks I’ve spent the most time with this year. On Instagram.

53. Viktor Váradi
    My favourite photobooks of 2025. On Instagram

    

54. Untitled | Ukrainian photography

    10 українських фотокниг 2025 року / 10 Ukrainian photo books of 2025, Untitled | Ukrainian photography

55. Aline Smithson, Sara Bennett, Michael Honegger, Montserrat Andrée Carty, Elizabeth Stone, Laila Nahar, Epiphany Knedler, Linda Alterwitz, Douglas Breault, Karen Bullock, Deanna Dikeman
    The 2025 Lenscratch Staff Favorite Things, Lenscratch
    (not just photobooks, but enough to be included)

56. Regina Anzenberger

    Favorite photobooks of the year 2025. On Facebook

57. Ted, aka sixteensecondshappy,
    Some favorites from 2025, story on Instagram

    

58. Julia Borrisova

    Любимые книги года / My favourite books of 2025. On Boosty

    Four books published in 2025 that I consider my favourites. On Instagram

59. Paul Anderson, Brian Arnold, Melanie Chapman, Gerhard Clausing, Lee Halvorsen, Steve Harp, Hans Hickerson, Brian O’Neill, Matt Schneider, Douglas Stockdale, and Rudy Vega

    Interesting Photobooks of 2025, The Photobook Journal

60. Christophe Périgois
    My 25 favorite Photobooks in 2025. On Instagram.

    My 25 favorite Photobooks in 2025. On Facebook.

61. Sugar Paper

    Best of 2025 — Top 5 Photobooks dell’anno. On Instagram

62. Rachele Pari
    Il 2025 in sette libri di fotografia: Alcune pubblicazioni dell’anno passato da non perdere, BMB Live Studio

63. Camille Bois-Martin, Nathan Merchadier and Matthieu Jacquet.

    7 livres de photographie pour s’évader pendant les fêtes, Numéro

64. Oliver Burgold

    Six Books from 2025, which are amongst the best of the year. On Instagram

65. Cas Bochner
    Photobooks of 2025. On Instagram

66. Sébastien Cuvelier

    Favorite photobooks of 2025. On Instagram

67. Clerk b 👓
    ⊹ moom bookshop 店員推薦五本2025年出版的藝術書籍 ⊹ On Instagram

68. Tung
    ⊹ moom bookshop 店員推薦五本2025年出版的藝術書籍 ⊹ On Instagram

69. Shop assistant m 🕊️
    以下是店員 m 的選書 🕊️. Moom on Instagram

70. store attendant CA 💆🏻‍♂️

    以下是店員 CA 的選書 💆🏻‍♂️ Moom on Instagram
    
    

    ---

    The rules

    I try to create a fairly democratic meta-list by leaving the parameters of each list as the list-maker has intended them. Every kind of photo(graphy) book is welcome here: artist book to coffee table book, books selected by experts and by photobook enthusiasts. Some people highlight one book, others twenty. Some nominate “best books”, while others choose “great books not mentioned by anyone yet”. All are interesting to someone looking for something new and exciting.
    
    I also try to make the list as fair as possible. And a panel of photobook collectors agreed on the following rules:
    
    1. You might share your favourites with more than one publication, but the same book will be counted only once per person. 2. Generally, I don’t include “Christmas gift guides” and nothing compiled before November of the previous year. “Best from the Arts and Design” and even “Best Art Books” don’t make the selection unless they contain a substantial amount of photobooks. I don’t include a list of “all books I wrote about this year” or “all I bought this year”. 4. Historical lists (your all-time favourites) have to party elsewhere, but the 2017 book, published in November 2018, and this year’s reprint will be included.
    
    If you think something should change in the rules, please head to the subscriber chat and open a discussion!
    
    I think of this Meta-list as a list by and for people who love and support the photobook. I think the books here have been carefully selected. I also believe the Meta-list can give an image of how the photobook world is developing. But don’t take it too seriously, especially this year with many expert voices missing. The entrees are unfit for real statistics, because the individual lists are incomparable. They do show the most excellent photobooks and great discoveries for everyone’s taste. I hope you’ll find your darlings.

    Your 2025 photobooks, together with ours 🙌
    (Don’t hesitate to DM me if you want to receive the full list.)