William Henry Jackson's the Pioneer Photographer Book

This is a biography which starts in the middle of Muybridge's life (like Tarantino shot Pulp Fiction), during his dramatic murder of his wife's lover. I'm not certain that this is the best way to write a biography but am open to this format.

I own copies of two prior Muybridge biographies: Robert Bartlett Haas's Muybridge: Man in Motion (which I really like) and Rebecca Solnit's River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West and attend one of her author events. Personally, I like Haas as the best, but may have to do with precedence. The value that Clegg adds is that Haas and Solnit are Californians writing from the perspective of California (and world) history, and Clegg is a Brit who can cover aspects of Muybridge's earlier life better. Haas has a comparatively linear, academic narrative (it's Univ. of California Press, and no longer in print). Owning copies of Muybridge photo collections (like Muybridge's Complete Human and Animal Locomotion, Vol. II: All 781 Plates from the 1887 "Animal Locomotion") is also useful.

Whereas the personal story of Muybridge's acquittal for murder speaks of a different time, the keywords in his life were "unsuspended transport" and the horse Occident (you can find a State Historic monument at Stanford University for this stop motion work). Clegg adds personal value, but person most qualified to review any of these books is probably Harold Edgerton who developed strobe photography. Edgerton didn't think much of Muybridge's life (it was an earlier time and Muybridge was also noted for his still photography of Yosemite and other landscapes prior to photographers like Ansel Adams). And I think Dr. Edgerton also credits another French photographer whose name escapes me (maybe Gjon Mili).

Clegg could have also related Muybridge to influences in painting, typically Duchamp, or comparisons to O.J. Simpson (until later crimes). Clegg might be considered a supplement to other biographers, but in my opinion he's not the strongest biographer on the topic and working from the UK may have a few disadvantages in the latter portions of Muybridge's life.