Original 1976 edition, with pronounced scratches and rubbing to the cover illustration, a 1/4-inch indentation to the top of the front board, and minor rubbing and indentations to the rear board. The front free endpaper has sticker residue and the rear free endpaper is creased; all endpapers have slight fading to the edges.

In 1976, the Museum of Modern Art exhibited the work of the young, relatively unknown photographer William Eggleston. It was the first photographic exhibit in the museum's history devoted exclusively to the color work of one photographer. Eggleston's photographs of the South using his snapshot-like aesthetic created a critical furor that has yet to be forgotten. This monograph, published at the same time as the Eggleston exhibit, includes curator John Szarkowski's thought provoking essay on the use of color in photography.