This book weaves together biographical, historical and artistic strands to present a colourful tapestry of the early life and work of the photographer Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946). Generously illustrated, the volume includes photographs Stieglitz took in Europe (some rarely seen), his first works in the United States and Katherine Hoffman's new photographs of important sites in young Stieglitz's life. The book is the first to look closely at the photographer's formative years and photographic works before 1917. Although born in New Jersey, Stieglitz's ancestry lay in Germany where he spent some of his high-school and university years. Stieglitz; A Beginning Light traces the lasting influences of European culture on his work as well as the impact of American democratic traditions. The book also recounts his tireless and often lonely efforts as a young photographer, editor, writer and gallery director to gain recognition for the Modernist cause and for photography as a fine art.