Focal Press has announced the publication of the second edition of Plastic Cameras: Toying with Creativity by Michelle Bates. This volume brings together the world of toy camera photography, including the history of their use, exhaustive instructions, tips and tricks for getting the most out of Holgas and other choice cameras, advanced camera modifications, darkroom and presentation information, and resources for continued research and sharing. The new edition includes the latest toy cameras including the Pinhole Wide Holga, the Stereo Holga, and the all-new Blackbird, Fly. The 288-page paperback is available for $29.95.

The President’s Photographer: Fifty Years Inside the Oval Office is a new book published by National Geographic Books. The book, written by John Bredar, is the companion volume to a new National Geographic Television Special, “The President’s Photographer: 50 Years Inside the Oval Office,” airing on PBS on Wednesday, 24th November 2010. The 255-page hardcover is available now, priced at $35.

The Photographer’s Mind is Michael Freeman’s follow up to his best-selling book, The Photographer’s Eye. Containing more than 400 images with schematic illustrations showing how and why they work, the book is targeted at serious amateurs, intermediate as well as professional photographers. The Photographer’s Mind is available now, at a price of $29.95.

Barely Exposed is a new book by photographer Latana, who has photographed and surveyed 60 ethnically diverse young adults around the world. “I asked them to be half-dressed because I did not want them to hide behind their clothing,” says Latana. “It was important for me to capture the vulnerability in their faces. Half-dressed, they were all the same…half child, half adult, and yet completely different individuals.” Signed copies of the book are available via the author’s website for $40.

The Digital Photography Workflow Handbook is a new book by Uwe Steinmüller and Jürgen Gulbins. Having a good digital workflow is key to avoiding disappointment caused by weak images and poorly managed image collections. The Digital Photography Workflow Handbook is an all-inclusive resource that will teach readers how to master the craft of photographic post-processing. Providing a step-by-step guide through the photographic workflow, the 552-page book is available for $49.95.

Blurb today launched Blurb Bookify, an online bookmaking tool designed to streamline the creation of high-quality photo books. Within Bookify, users will find a curated collection of the most popular layouts, fonts, and design elements for book creation. Additionally, users will be able to drag and drop images directly onto a page and the page will “design itself”, the company says. Being an online tool, Bookify alleviates the need to download a client-side application, and allows users to work on their book from more than one computer. To begin a Blurb Bookify project, visit the website below.

Eyewitness Decade is a new book that tells the story of the first ten years of the new millennium in a series of “stunning and awe-inspiring” images. Some record the unfolding of major world events: 9/11, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the financial crisis of 2008, President Obama’s inauguration. Others tell more local and personal stories: a man sleeping rough in Cambridge, chess-players in Budapest, patients receiving treatment in Havana. Some explore the world of nature and natural disasters, while a handful look at the quirkier side of life. Published by Guardian Books, Eyewitness Decade is available at a price of £25.

William Albert Allard, a National Geographic institution and world-renowned photographer, is releasing a photographic memoir, William Albert Allard: Five Decades, detailing his life in the field. The book, beautifully illustrated with many of Allard’s strikingly colourful photographs of people and places around the world, is full of stories about the Basques, India’s Untouchables, the season of the hunter and many other topics.

On 26th October, Stanfords Travel Bookshop will play host to a travel photography master class. The event is timed to coincide with the launch of the Insight Guide to Travel Photography – How to Take Striking Images published by Insight Guides. Several contributors of this new travel photography guide will be there to pass on their insider tips. The travel photography master class begins at 7.30 p.m. at 12-14 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London WC2. Tickets are £2. You can reserve a place by emailing your details to [email protected]

Canon Rebel T2i / EOS 550D is a new title in Ammonite’s Expanded Guides series. Written by experienced photographer and author Andy Stansfield, this full-colour guidebook fits neatly in a camera bag and includes a pull-out quick reference card. The step-by-step guide to the camera’s basic and advanced functions is complemented by practical tips on lighting, camera care and lens choice. The 240-page paperback will go on sale in November, at a price of 19.95 dollars.

Canon EOS System - The Expanded Guide is a new book by freelance photographer and writer Andy Stansfield. The comprehensive, jargon-free, full-colour guidebook covers every digital SLR camera in the extensive EOS system, as well as the manufacturer’s Speedlite flashes and extensive range of EF and EF-S lenses. For the less experienced, technique sections explain camera sensors, Picture Style pre-sets, perspective control lenses, and more. The 272-page book, published by Ammonite Press. will be available in November priced at $19.95.

Insight Guides will mark its 40th anniversary later this month with the publication of its very own Insight Guide to Travel Photography. Created by experts in this field and giving plenty of examples, the book covers everything from digital processing to the selling of images. Unique to the Insight Guide to Travel Photography is a section on how to photograph people respectfully in their own environment, focusing on the importance of establishing rapport with the subject. Authoritative essays focus upon Capturing the Soul, The Family of Man and Flash Photography.  Illustrated sections explore all aspects of technique, from lighting and composition to camera settings, exposure and lenses. The book is available now at a price of £14.99.

Rizzoli’s new monograph of photographer Mika Ninagawa’s work, which we wrote about a few months ago, will go on sale in November in the UK. Lauded as an art and fashion photographer, Mika Ninagawa has become a cultural superstar in Japan since her debut only a decade ago. Her portraits of international personalities including Cameron Diaz, the late Isabella Blow, Dita von Teese, Chiaki Kuriyama and Beyoncé, plus her elaborate, fantasy-infused landscapes and still-lifes illustrate how and why her vibrant aesthetic has been influential in the fashion world. The 352-page hardcover includes 300 of her photographs and sells for ?45.

David Noton has released advance signed copies of his new book Full Frame – several weeks in advance of the book being available through general retailers. Full Frame, David’s second book, takes readers on an epic journey around the world and includes insights into David’s work, with informative, witty commentary. From ten locations worldwide - the Canadian Rockies, Bolivia, Morocco, Bali, South Africa, Laos, Provence, Umbria, Snowdonia and Dorset - David explores the key themes in his work, from his use of colour and how he achieves a new perspective on familiar scenes, to the spirit of adventure that drives him to seek out new ones. A limited number of signed hardback copies of the book are available for £25 plus p&p only through David’s website.

The Amazing Monarch: The Secret Wintering Grounds of an Endangered Butterfly is a new book written and photographed by wildlife photographer and trial attorney Windle Turley. In the book, Turley captures stunning images in the rarely photographed wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly, in the Transverse Neovolcanic Mountains in Mexico. Granted almost-unprecedented access, Turley documents the final destination of this migration that only takes place every four to five generations with vivid, full-colour photographs. The 112-page hardcover is available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Borders and BenBella Books, at a list price of $29.95. A selection of images from the book can be viewed in an online gallery.

HUBBLE: Window on the Universe features over 200 super-sharp, close-up photographs of our solar system. With spectacular full page spreads, the book showcases the story of Hubble’s journey, explaining the anatomy of the telescope and optic specifics, the launch in 1990 and the very latest and most impressive discoveries that have changed the way we look at our Universe.  Key images include views of Pluto in unprecedented detail and the recent photograph of Carina Nebula taken by the Hubble 20th Anniversary team in April this year, for the telescope’s birthday.

A revised edition of Doug Harman’s Digital Photography Handbook will hit the shops in early November. Part one looks at cameras, lenses and other hardware accessories and explains the technology behind them. Part two explores the art of photography itself, from composing a shot to considerations such as depth of field, focus or exposure. Part three moves into the digital darkroom to show readers the solutions to common problems, while a series of masterclasses focuses on professional image manipulation techniques and artistic effects, breaking them down into step-by-step stages for readers to follow. The 254-page book is priced at £6.99.

The Wild Side of Photography by Cyrill Harnischmacher is now available in the UK. This book, which debuted in the US in August, is geared toward the adventurous photographer. From this book, you will learn build a shift/tilt lens for your DSLR from an old junkyard 120 film camera, try the camera toss, shoot images from a kite, use a peephole door viewer as a fisheye lens, or build your own pinhole camera. Each project is presented with easy to understand instructional text, background information about the author and the project, and beautiful colour images to illustrate what can be accomplished and how you can do it too. Written by Cyrill Harnischmacher, this 176-page book is available for £22.99.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE VIKINGS: An Aerial Vision of Arctic Lands is a new title from National Geographic Books. Showcasing more than 100 spectacular and “utterly unfamiliar” views of Arctic lands and waterways, this new book by celebrated aerial photographer Robert Haas promises to “shatter our preconceived notions about a barren Arctic landscape”. The 224-page hardcover will be released on Tuesday 21th September at a price of $50.

“Above Scotland: Cities” is a new book containing aerial photographs of Scotland’s six cities from the 1920s to the present. Published by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), the book is authored by Rebecca M. Bailey, James Crawford and Allan Williams. “From the air, you can read a city and work out puzzles of its development that can be confusing at ground level,” Crawford said: “Rooftops become like geological layers, architectural timelines of social, economic and political history.” Including a 3D viewer for a set of never-before published three dimensional photographs, the book will come out on 1st October 2010 at a price of £25.