Photos that Changed the World

by Peter Stepan

From triumph to tragedy, this book gathers together several photos of pivotal moments in the world history.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, History, Art, Coffee Table Books

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2006

Reviews

[Mike! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gran libro de grades momentos con una breve descripción del acontecimiento. Lo compre el la bibliotecaria pública de Nueva York era el último que quedaba :) !
Y portada es la mejor foto muy bien elegida, una persona que lucho por los derecho e igualdad con protestas inteligentes y sin violencia como lo hacia Gandhi!
Y por solo 19,99 👌

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

The biggest problem of this book is the title which upon reading this book is not entirely correct. There are some very powerful, horrible, and even wonderful photos found inside. But all of world changing well that is an exaggeration especially the photos of Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Louie Armstrong, and even Elvis. Some photos were not released until after the event and is nothing more than a visual reminder of that event. So many of them are just that an event that preserves an important moment in our history and continues to remind us of our past but not all contributed to changes. Sometimes it was the event that changed things such as JFK's assassination not a photo of the event.
This is mainly just a photographic record of the Twentieth century. Of world changing events like wars and assassinations to disasters and famous people.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve got an hour to kill this is a great book to flip through to capture the 20th century in photos. Each photo has a one-page description of what is being depicted and why it is so relevant. There is a definite Western slant, but there are photos from other parts of the world as well.

I really liked the choice of photos: many of them photos that I’ve seen before because they are so iconic; some of them I’d never seen and it was interesting to learn the historical significance of them. The only reason I’m not giving the book a 5-star rating is because I feel the title is slightly misleading. These are not all photos that “changed the world”. To be fair, this is addressed in the introduction where it is explained that some images are included because they “inspired and entertained”. That’s fine, and I enjoyed seeing them, but then perhaps a title should have been chosen that more accurately reflects the contents.

That’s just me being picky. This would be a great book to have on your coffee table.

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting photos and facts, though I can't help thinking there were some odd choices included. Nice coffee table book if you can find it cheap enough, or buy as a gift.

[Sleepless Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this from a used book store. It's a pretty good run through of the last hundred years.

[Damián González · Rating 3 out of 5]

El título promete más de lo que es.
Si bien la mayoría son fotos de eventos muy conocidos, algunas que todo el mundo conoce no están incluidas, como la niña afgana o la de la niña sudanesa y el buitre.

De todas formas, por su valor documental funciona muy bien. La calidad de las imágenes es más que correcta y su lectura es muy ágil (en algunos casos demasiado ágil).

Yo lo volvería a comprar y por eso lo recomiendo.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great context and reasoning for each image included. Obviously, as iconic images there's a lot the average person has seen, but the context historically and placed in photographic history deepens understanding. Very Western, but acknowledges that in the intro - I think they could have worked harder to get a more diverse set of images but I understand why it is the way it is. The oldest images were among the most fascinating to me.

[David Jin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great option for a crash course in some of history's most famed images, thought the writing that accompanies the images is at times, dull and meandering. In addition, the forewords and captions show much inconsistencies regarding photo selection process, and fail to detail any sort of composition that makes the photograph great despite promising to.

[Nav · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of an opportunity to learn some fun facts and take a gander at some compelling images than anything else (since some of these photos captured moments that changed the world rather than being the catalyst for change themselves) except for the foreword which was superb.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intresting book, but I think it could have contained photo's from other events to be more complete.
Glad to see it contained images from not so well know in the West events.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to see if any pics from Sri Lanka or India but unfortunately this book is very western centered.

[Aziff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In its foreword, Photos That Changed the World doesn't claim that it covers all monumental points of human history through the lens - and indeed in its collection, it doesn't. Depending on which part of the world you grew up in, or which generation you come from, this book might miss some key parts here and there. And it certainly has a Western media bias. That doesn't mean that this book is any less worth a read though. If anything, it certainly informed me of the power of photojournalism and the intense power of image propaganda.

The book has a collection of iconic photographs captured over modern human history, and with it, a backstory and context behind these images and the events that surrounded it. I liked that it deviated from the "big" historical events and also focused on some smaller microcosms such as the plight of the Indian-Americans. Photos That Changed the World is also not just about social issues, but also cultural keystones; talking about iconic photographs like Marilyn Monroe's blown-skirt photo and the American late-60s Woodstock.

As you progress more towards the images of the 21st century, however, it becomes apparent that the photos become less "iconic" or memorable. This, I believe has a lot to do with the rise of digital photography and social media that saturates the former impact of photojournalistic single-shots. Though photos of the 2016 drowned Syrian refugee boy does make an appearance, and it's as impactful as when it first appeared on our screens. Makes you wonder if photojournalism will have an impact in the future, as it used to in the past.

[Fahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pictorial timeline about the most important events of the world. The book starts from San Francisco's earthquake in April 18, 1906 and goes up to New Orleans hurricane Katrina in August 30, 2005. Although the opening and the closing of the book sound American, but not everything in this book is about America.

This book also shares interesting photos about movements, war, music icons, genocides, technological breakthroughs and peoples' resistance against different governments. Every double-page in this book presents a photo and an interesting fact about it, which makes it interesting and fun to read.

This book is so handy. It can be used as a quick reference to refresh yourself about some important dates, places and events in the world.

In a nutshell, it is a book that should be kept close to a bed, or a TV.

Stay refreshed.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far it's wonderful. Pictures tell a thousand words and this book does that but also has text to describe the emotion of the time. The front cover is powerful, MLK Jr. waving to thousands. Striking!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to own!