false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173423451m/287497.jpg 287497 1 Since the 10.5 million images in <I>National Geographic</I>'s possession won't fit in a book, the 250 in this moderately glossy, minimally costly collection will do nicely. <I>Through the Lens</I> is a stunning collection of photos judiciously apportioned to represent the regions of the earth, the sea, and outer space; humans and nature; and even the history of the medium--a few historic black and whites contrast dramatically with the eye-popping modern color shots that dominate the book. As ever, the esthetic key to their impact is the use of big, emotional pictures with witty little captions, and whenever possible, startling juxtapositions. A Boston matron's faux-fur coat looks just like her pet Dalmatian (the caption identifies them as "spots fans"). The world's widest street (in Buenos Aires) by night looks great next to a grassy highway overpass for grizzly bears in Alberta. The famous green-eyed Afghan refugee poses in a purple burkha with her 1985 <I>National Geographic</I> cover. A Moscow shopper tries on a snowsuit, oblivious to the huge face in the ad on the wall behind him, whose nose he obscures and smile he bisects. A fuzzy shot of a 1907 inventor testing a multiwinged "Katydid" flying machine contrasts with a crisp 1974 shot of Skylab soaring far above fluffy clouds. Often, what's striking is the juxtaposition of ideas. An Arctic wolf making an impossible leap between ice floes arcs in midair, only its reflection hitting the frigid water. A 1935 Model T "surfs" a steep dune in White Sands, New Mexico. Chorus lines of stuffed cane-toad corpses with surreally clothespinned snouts perform on a taxidermist's shelf. Newborns are lined up like bread loaves in Shanghai. A woman in a white chador sits in the Tripoli airport, the white lines of fluorescent ceiling bulbs radiating behind her head like a saint's halo. This isn't the fanciest photo book of the season, but it certainly is a good deal. <I>-Tim Appelo</I> 278929 book 1 10 2003 Through the Lens: National Geographic's Greatest Photographs total:89|5:53|4:28|3:8|2:0|1:0| 89 401 146 8 3 0 false false Wed Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 06:39:41 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 06:39:41 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 15 14:51:03 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 14:52:15 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue May 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 12:37:31 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 14:46:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 23 09:02:56 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 23 09:04:13 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Tue Oct 02 20:17:23 -0700 2007 Fri Apr 04 05:00:19 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Oct 28 15:25:40 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 15:27:30 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue May 06 18:30:38 -0700 2008 Tue May 06 18:30:50 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Feb 09 20:58:57 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 09 20:59:17 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Fri Dec 04 08:24:21 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 04 08:24:21 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Fri Dec 04 01:39:01 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 04 17:03:35 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Nov 26 08:37:06 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 26 08:37:06 -0800 2009 5 0 true false Mon Nov 23 18:37:26 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 18:37:26 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 20 19:51:45 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 20 19:56:29 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Nov 11 05:54:53 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 05:54:53 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Nov 06 10:08:38 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 10:08:38 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 04 08:14:16 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 08:14:16 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 30 18:27:18 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 30 18:27:28 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Oct 26 13:48:07 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 13:48:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 17 02:36:09 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 02:36:09 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 06 19:57:21 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 19:57:21 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=287497