The Best of LIFE

by David E. Scherman (Editor)

"To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events" was the goal Henry R. Luce set for LIFE in the original prospectus. For the next 36 years the editors kept that promise faithfully, reporting on life, the world, and great events with skill, dedication and imagination. Just how well they did their job the reader will see in the 304 pages - 100 of them in color - and 680 photographs (including 77 LIFE covers) that make up this splendid anthology. -- from the book jacket.

Genres: Photography, History, Nonfiction, Art, Reference, Picture Books

293 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

David Edward Scherman

Reviews

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally go in for coffee-table photo books, there are just too many out there. Life Magazine, however, published from 1936-1972 encapsulates a majority of the era of photography. This book, with short captions and chapter headings, focuses on the visual summation of Life's themes.

Two photos in the collection floored me. The first, on page 104, is of the body of a suicide who jumped from the Empire State building. You can see the photo and read the whole story here: http://www.codex99.com/photography/43.... A seemingly non-violent picture of a beautiful young lady in a peaceful reclining position, nearly wrapped in the metal hood of the car she crashed through. It's really a photo about the inertia of time. You can picture the car parked there, then suddenly changed, then sitting there quietly unchanging again for the photo.

The second is a horrifying photo of a torture and lynching victim from 1937 Mississippi. Here's a scan, but I warn you – it's graphic –http://flickr.com/photos/foojoygreent.... What sort of men could do this? Looking at a photo like this undoes every little logical and moral insistence and indignation. I know we've all been desensitized to violence, but this cruel act was done here – by us, in a way, and not so long ago.

There were many amazing photos of celebrities – Hemingway kicking a can, several incredibly candid shots of the Kennedys, a timeless portrait of Greta Garbo, not to mention the children and animals.

This is definitely worth the buy, but I recommend the hard bound edition. My soft cover version is falling apart.

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

An all-time favorite. Lots and lots of the most powerful photos ever published in LIFE magazine. Really hard to put down.

[Ryan Fohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t realize LIFE magazine’s weekly photography years were only from 1936-1972. But what a time to capture! If I was alive then, I would have read LIFE every week. This is better than a typical photo book or coffee table book. I couldn’t help but think deeply about suffering, the 20th century, our world of images, and the art of photography. It took longer to read then I expected because I was so often stopped by an image. My only complaint is with some layout choices. Now I know why my grandfather, who I inherited my copy of this book from, had a magnifying glass next to it. The photo essay section was unreadable. It’s interesting how some of these photos could still go viral on the internet and others are completely cliché.

What I learned: How they got those fetal and embryonic development photos. How photo journalism used to require a lot more patience and innovation.

[Andi Wiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was about 6 the first time I opened this treasury, which was first published in 1973. I pored over every inch, every word and every detail in it countless times... like an exercise in fierce kinder-meditation.

This single book gave me the absolute best possible preparation for every wonder, horror and beauty in humans and the world. Iconic and timelessly moving - for better and/or worse, humanity is as humanity does, ad infinitum.

If you can find a copy, grab it and keep it. A true time capsule gem indeed.

[Jojo · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[faith adams-michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little misogynistic, but what can you expect. Otherwise beautiful. Touching, poignant, eye-opening. An incredible collection of photographs & unbelievable moments.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

So educational!

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing collection of photographs from the heyday of LIFE magazine (mid-1930s through mid-1970s). There are some real classics in here, such as the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square at the end of World War II. The collection provides a fascinating overview of American culture and world events during those four decades. Some of the images are hard to look at; for example, the naked Vietnamese girl fleeing a napalm attack. Photos like that always make me wonder why the photographer isn't compelled to put down the camera and HELP instead of just (it seems) callously shooting away. A few quibbles about the book: first, not all of the photo captions included dates! The pictures are arranged topically and then chronologically, so you can usually guess the decade, but this is an inexcusable oversight. Another drawback is that many of the captions included extensive descriptions of the photographers and/or how the photographs were shot. Of course the photographers should be credited appropriately, and in some cases the technique might be of interest, but I thought it was superfluous (and boring!) to include so many details--I was much more interested in what was happening in the actual photos.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another large hardcover 25lb historical picture book. But, this is a heavy hitting, unapologetic look at classic Americana like you can't genuinely find everywhere. I've seen some of the photos before but was surprised to realize that it was a TIME photographer who captured the oddly familiar photographs. This bit of kit didn't dodge the ugly or the bizarre, but just the opposite really. The only negative sanction i have gathered is how disappointing all the picture titles and according paragraphs were. I found hardly any value in the text, not going to lie.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures tell a thousand words and this book tells a lot of US history between 1936 and 1972. Fun to read and to see the changes in culture and politics over that time. I remember Life Magazine as a child and every now and then would be a photo I remembered. It was enjoyable to linger over.

[Cws]

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[John Sorensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a number of interesting pictures. You don't even really need to read the text. 45 minutes is all you really need to see the entire book.

[Citrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish LIFE magazine was still in operation today .

[Oskar]

Great pictures depicting world history till 1973.