cover image Life Platinum Anniversary Collection: 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography

Life Platinum Anniversary Collection: 70 Years of Extraordinary Photography

. Life Publications, $29.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-1-933405-17-9

The brainchild of Henry Luce, owner of Time and Fortune, Life magazine was formed in 1936 and quickly became one of the most influential publications of the 20th century. Its original mandate, in the words of Luce, was ""to see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events,"" and as such it brought extraordinary images from around the world into American households. This collection, a 70-year retrospective, presents a history in photos, highlighting the most famous, moving and beautiful pictures from the magazine, including classics by Alfred Eisenstaedt, Dorothea Lange, Margaret Bourke-White, and Irving Penn. Divided into sections covering the presidency, Hollywood, war, science and nature, culture, sport and ""fun,"" this volume packs in a huge assortment of subjects and emotions. Of particular interest is the chapter of ""Photo Essays,"" a pioneering Life feature that revolutionized the field of photojournalism, capturing stories through image sequences and small blurbs; included are provocative stories such as the plight of German refugees in 1945, Heroin use in the '60s and Larry Burrows' intimate portrait of the Vietnam war, which has been called ""the greatest photo essay ever made."" In honor of its legacy, the Platinum Anniversary Collection closes with a short annex of every magazine cover from the magazine's long, illustrious life.