Instant: The Story of Polaroid

Remember Polaroid pictures? Bonanos (senior editor, New York magazine; Gods, Heroes, and Philosophers: A Celebration of All Things Greek) here tells the story of their creator, Edwin Land, and how he built a multibillion-dollar business from those instant photographs. Holder of over 500 patents, Land was the Steve Jobs of his day. A quick and interesting read, this work traces the history of the company, which began in 1932 by manufacturing polarizing film for car headlights and sunglasses. By the mid-1940s, photography was its main business. Unfortunately, things ended badly, with two bankruptcies, the final one in 2009. The company is now trying to reinvent itself, including manufacturing a new line of film that can be used by the famous cameras. The book includes some photos, though not nearly enough. The volume is enhanced by a helpful index and footnotes, but not so many as to be distracting.