[.ca] Stage Lighting Design: The Art, the Craft, the Life (ISBN 0896762351)

You don't need photos...it's the theory and technical info:
Another person reviewed this book complaining that it wasn't effective because it didn't have an abundance of color photographs. He missed the mark big time! This isn't a book on lighting for photography, it's a book on lighting for the eye and a theatrical experience, two different things. A static photo doesn't give you the interaction with how the cue ran, what the actors are doing, how the audience is supposed to feel. The photo whould just be a picture of a person in a light and convey nothing. True, the end product of lighting design is a visual medium, but the means of getting there are purely cerebral. Lighting designs are drawn in black and white based on theory, knowledge, practical experience and the ability to visualize. This is a book on theory and knowledge culled from Pilbrow's extensive experience. If you want to approach lighting design like a cake recipe or an auto repair manual then this is the wrong book for you and probably the wrong career. If you are dedicated to your craft, want to add to your knowledge base and get more out of your work experience, buy this book. Reading this book is like sitting down with Pilbrow and asking him how he did this or that and why. As your career grows, you will find yourself rereading passages of this and getting more out of it each time.

Lighting Design Top 5:
I would easily say this is one of the top 5 books on Theatrical and Concert Lighting Design. As a young designer his advise in learning and developing the craft as well as the background he provides is invaluable. I'd recomend this book to anyone seriously considering the field.