Kelly Knauer

Most of the photos in this book are of the covers of Time Magazine over 75 years, although it contains additional photos and brief histories about what was going on at the time and why the subjects were selected for the covers. Many of the pictures have become iconic. It also includes a selection of letters to Time over the years, cartoons printed in the magazine, and stats about the magazine, such as the ten most, and ten least, popular issues in 75 years. (It will not surprise students of show more culture to know that features on Princess Diana made up two of the most popular ten issues. The least popular issues are a bit more surprising.)

The book is divided into eight time periods, from the 1920s to the 1990s, with each period introduced by a general essay by Time writers.

I love history, but I love pictorial histories even more. This book ought to please both types of audiences. Interpretations of history may change, but the pictures are "timeless." show less

This book is mediocre at best. It's a very, very condensed version of various 'secret' societies w/ special emphasis on groups covered in various Dan Brown books. I enjoyed seeing some of the photos, but it was more of magazine-blurb type writing rather than anything in-depth. (Guess I should have suspected that w/ it being a Time publication, huh?) Most groups were ones I already knew at least a little about, so this book provided very little new info for me. Coverage of the groups was also show more quite uneven; some groups had pages while others had half a page or less. I really couldn't discern what or why some groups were included while others were not. Some of the writing was fairly impartial, while other parts had personal comments interjected by the writers. It might be ok if you're looking for a very broad listing of groups like this as a starting point which would lead you to more research; unfortunately, there is no bibliography. Overall, though, it's very uneven and too general to be of great interest, imo. show less

Great Images is an excellent collection of photographs spanning the entire 20th century. The scope is worldwide, but with a focus on the USA and its role in the world. Among the photographs are truly iconic images of the century, from World War 2, the US/ Vietnam conflict, the economic Depression, southern segregation, the moon landing, and events spanning all spheres of human activity (including art, science, political events, sports, and family life). The photographs are presented in full show more page to 1.5 page spreads, mostly in gray scale, although some are in color. The photos are quite striking, and make up one of the best collections of its kind that I've seen. The accompanying text, oddly enough, focuses much less on the events shown than on photography itself -- the power and nature of photographic images, how they are obtained and how presented, and their social and historical context.

The main strength of the book lies in the images themselves, which offer a fine overview of a tumultuous century from the standpoint of a US media outlet. show less

Many of the images in this book were haunting. Some in good ways, others in not so good ways. I learned a great deal about this turbulent time in history that still shapes our world today.