50 Photos You Should Know

by Brad Finger

This collection of world-renowned photographs offers a stunning visual history of photography and photojournalism. The birth of photography opened the doors to a new kind of art, one that recorded events with the immediacy not possible with painting and drawing. This volume is a chronologically arranged compendium of memorable images of unforgettable people, places, and moments. Including images recording humankind conquering the air, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbing Mount Everest, and the attack on the World Trade Center, this volume features double-page spreads that create a visual timeline. From war to nature, movie stars to artists, the surface of Mars to the devastation of Katrina, this thoroughly up-to-date record captures historical moments such as the horror of the Japanese tsunami and the excitement of the political revolution in the Middle East. Recording moments both intimate and earth-shaking, these photographs speak volumes about where we've been and the direction we're headed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Art

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2012

Reviews

[Gabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed getting through this book. As someone who is currently dedicating himself to the study of Photography, I found this book very informative and thought it covered a decent amount of photo history as well as context in terms of said history. Everything from the creation of photography in the early 19th century, all the way to the Space Race in the 60s. Overall a great read if you are into the subject itself.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read with a brief summary of the events...However, the timeline in each page contains repeats and sometimes a bit irrelevant to the topic.

[Francis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coffee table gold

[Magnús · Rating 2 out of 5]

Þetta er nokkuð fljótlesin bók og að mörgu leyti sniðug hugmynd á bak við hana. Upsetningin er frumleg, efst á hverri opnu er tímalína sem setur myndina í ákveðið samhengi í mannkynssögunni. En það er eitthvað sem er ekki alveg að virka finnst mér. Myndavalið er örlítið tilviljanakennt og margar af áhugaverðustu myndunum fá frekar innihaldsrýran texta til að skýra söguna á bak við þær. Bókin mætti líka vera í örlítið stærra broti, svo myndirnar fengju að njóta sín - tímalínan fór stundum (OK, alltaf) í taugarnar á mér út af plássinu sem hún tekur á kostnað myndefnisins.

Ég mæli samt sem áður með að renna í gegn um þessa bók - og þá er ég helst að tala til ljósmynda- og sagnfræðilúða (sekur). Munið bara að hafa nóg af Goggle við hendina til að fletta upp þar sem upp á vantar.

[Margot Note]

My goal is to read as many photo books I can get my hands on via the New York Public Library. A subgenre I'm especially interested in is "photo icon" books where I can learn about the images that make up the visual canon of photographic history. The 50 photos included in this book didn't make sense to me, and I'd love to know about the process behind the selections. However, the book includes a two page, full color portrait of Russian cosmonaut (and hotass) Yuri Gagarin, so I'm not complaining about that selection!