Life Magazine 1973 Year in Pictures

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· 67 ratings · 11 reviews

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Jul 31, 2012 Frankie rated it it was amazing

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.

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Feb 07, 2016 Fishface rated it it was amazing

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

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 gran 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.

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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 co 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. ...more

Jan 26, 2015 Eli Poteet rated it really liked it

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 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. ...more

Jan 19, 2017 Donna rated it really liked it

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.

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. 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. ...more