Handsome and collectible, the books are produced to the highest standards. Each volume contains full-page reproductions printed in superb duotone, together with a critical introduction and a full bibliography. Now back in print, the series was awarded the first annual prize for distinguished photographic books by the International Center of Photography.

Elliott Erwitt (b. 1928), an American by adoption, has a humorous outlook that is reflected in his always elegant work. His photographs take advantage of the sudden coincidence, the fortuitous conjunction of objects and events, to reveal the ridiculous or comical sides of everyday life. Dogs are a favorite subject for Erwitt, often serving as a witty metaphor for human foibles.