Rating: 
Summary: Both Kodak and NG book are good. They are just different.
Review: The Kodak's book give a lot of basic knowledge, it's good designed and the photographs are better, but...
The NG book is useful for intermediate people because of esses it contains. I found in this book some things that I never thought about and I'm not hte beginner at all :)
Rating: 
Summary: Best Photography Book I've Ever Read
Review: This book is really incredible... it goes through literally everything a beginner could ever want to know, and then goes beyond that. After reading and practicing everything in this book, one would easily be ready for just about anything in photography.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but I've seen better
Review: I purchased the Kodak Guide To 35mm Photography for a friend, and being a
professional photographer, I thought that the National Geographic Photography Field
Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures would be a perfect source of advanced
knowledge for me...but I was wrong. The National Geographic book is good, but the
Kodak Guide is much better. Both books start with the basics, but Kodak fills its book
with much more information and far more (and usually better) photographs. Somewhatthin, more expensive and skimpy on details, the National Geographic Field Guide also
contains the stupidest thing I've ever heard a photographer say: 'If every shot on your
roll is perfect, then you've failed'. Failure can be a very important learning tool and you
must try new things and risk failure in order to grow, but if every shot on your roll is
perfect it usually means that you know what the heck you're doing.
Rating:
Summary: Great Handbook
Review: One of the best photograph books I have ever read. It is very clear and goes right to the point. It is really a handbook.
Rating:
Summary: Great resource
Review: This book is one of the best resources I've read on instruction and demonstration of photography. It starts out with the basics, learning how to use your camera and learning about aperture, shutter speed, and different size negatives and the cameras that use them, then progresses on to providing examples of how to see photographically while you're out in the real world. There are plenty of examples to show you what makes an interesting photo, as well as tips from professional photographers and short articles highlighting their careers. Great for photographers who want to become professional or those who just want to stay amateurs and do it for fun.
Rating:
Summary: Photojournalism Revisited
Review: Thirty five years ago, I was priviledged to take a photojournalism course at the University of Florida under a true master, Mr. Buddy Davis. One of the few courses I "aced" in college, it planted a seed that has been stifled by 35 years of frenetic getting, going and doing. Now I'm semi-retired and ordered this book as a refresher course. It has re-kindled the fire in my photographic belly as I thought never possible. If you're like me or have never "studied" the art at all, this book is an absolute must. It will help you "create" like you never thought possible. Thanks National Geo!!
Rating:
Summary: Photography beginners's valuable companion....
Review: ...this book contains almost every topic (although I never understood why a photography How-to needs to tell me how to load a film, since every camera comes with a manual).
It starts very basic (e.g. aperture vs. exposure time reciprocity), explains films and even covers specific problems (such as shutter speed for depicting falling snown etc.).
It's a book for beginners (although the essays about and from famous photographers and their tips are whorth reading for everyone). After purchasing this book you definetely don't need to look around for any other introduction. It serves well as continuous reference for upcoming questions (e.g. "How long should I expose the moon without blurring it?").
After reading this book (or if you already stepped beyond this stage in photography) you'll only need to look for advanced books. Including inside covers as Greycards is simply clever and very handy.
I rated this book "only" with 4 stars for I was already looking for some advanced advice or "insider tips" as given in John "Shaw's Nature Photography Field Guide".
PS: I puchased its two companions "Landscape" and "People and Portraits" as well. Though both books are nice they only include little that's not already mentioned in this valuable guide!
Rating:
Summary: A field guide you'll actually use
Review: This one's a keeper. My copy is dog-eared and worn around the edges, the pages marked with pen-ink notes and yellow highlighter. It fits into my camera bag and has become an old friend. Some pros scoff at it because the book contains basic shooting information as well as more advanced instruction, but it's good to glance back at the simple stuff every once in a while, both as a refresher and to remind yourself how far you've come.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for beginners
Review: I meet photographers (some with years of experience) with lack of understanding of the basic fundamentals of photography. This book gives you a solid understanding of the basics. Also if you forget them it can act as a quick reference guide.
Rating:
Summary: Mandatory Reading for Photographers
Review: This book is so good, I use it as a teachers guide when I teach photography.
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