Synopsis
The Eye of War is a chronicle of the changing face of conflict as recorded by the men and women who went to the front and captured on film, or in words, the experience of battle. From the Crimean War, the American Civil War, through two world wars, Vietnam and the two recent Gulf Wars to the Balkans and beyond, photographers have been drawn to the battlefront. Just as warfare has been transformed by technology, so have the cameras that document the watching, the waiting, the heat of battle, or the bloody aftermath; weapons have become more deadly whilst the camera has become smaller, quicker, sharper. The best photographs distil the chaos of war into visual icons that haunt the mind. This book selects 200 of the most powerful, together with poignant first-hand descriptions by battlefield witnesses, to make an outstanding visual record. The great war photographers of each era are represented, including Robert Capa, W. Eugene Smith and Yevgeny Khaldei, all active in the Second World War; Don McCullin and Larry Burrows in Vietnam, and, currently, James Nachtwey. The vastness of the Pacific vies with the empty steppes of Russia in 1942, the squalor of the 1914-18 trenches with that of street fighting and innocent civilian casualties, particularly in more recent wars.
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About the Author
Britain's most distinguished military historian and senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst for many years, Sir John Keegan is the author of THE FACE OF BATTLE, widely considered a classic of military history. His other books include THE MASK OF COMMAND, THE PRICE OF ADMIRALTY, SIX ARMIES IN NORMANDY and THE SECOND WORLD WAR. His book THE HISTORY OF WARFARE sold 60,000 copies in the US and 25,000 in the UK. He is Defence Editor of The Daily Telegraph and was knighted in 2000. Britain's most distinguished military historian and senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst for many years, Sir John Keegan is the author of THE FACE OF BATTLE, widely considered a classic of military history. His other books include THE MASK OF COMMAND, THE PRICE OF ADMIRALTY, SIX ARMIES IN NORMANDY and THE SECOND WORLD WAR. His book THE HISTORY OF WARFARE sold 60,000 copies in the US and 25,000 in the UK. He is Defence Editor of THE DAILY TELEGRAPH and was knighted in 2000. Phillip Knightly was an investigative journalist for THE SUNDAY TIMES for twenty years where he won many awards. His book THE FIRST CASUALTY: THE WAR CORRESPONDENT AS HERO AND MYTH MAKER FROM THE CRIMEA TO KOSOVO won the overseas Press Club Award for the Best Book on Foreign Affairs.
Review
'A massive book which does credit to a collection of 200 of the finest war photographs ever taken... The Eye of War is a magnificent book, and Phillip Knightly's text (with quotes from eye witnesses or other important commentators) an intelligent accompaniment... This book shows not just why so many soldiers lost their lives, but helps explain why so many photographers died with them.' - SLN (Scottish Legion News) Nov/Dec 2003 'The Eye of War is a superb book of photographs, showing just how incoherent war has always been, from the earliest grainy photographs of the Crimea, to the most recent visual horrors of the second Gulf war. The eyewitness accounts are fascinating... The book makes you wonder how and why war can look so beautiful.' RPS JOURNAL (Royal Photographic Society - Dec 03) 'a compelling, authoritative history of the experiences of cameramen over 150 years, exploring how the camera was part of the same technological revolution that transformed warfare in the mid-19th century, with modern cameras keeping pace with today's deadly weapons.' -- Jackie Wullschlager FINANCIAL TIMES (20/12/03) 'Some [photographs] are tragically dulled by familiarity... while others deliver new shocks of realization ... In the early days of battlefield photography it was distasteful to show pitures of the dead. Nowadays the real war is fought between competing TV stations.' WORD, Sept 2003 (illustrated full page review) 'THE EYE... is superb. Its 200 stark war images from the past 150 years come from the biggest names in photojournalism, such as Robert Capa and Don McCullin and take in this year's events in Iraq.' SOLDIER, Oct 03 'This book...combines essays, first-hand accounts and some of the most enduring photographs of war to amazing and haunting effect. THE EYE... is a coffee-table testament to the horrors of war and man's stupidity' FRONT - Book of the Month, Nov 03 'To describe the photographs in The Eye of War as "breathtaking" or "stunning" would be a gross understatement.' THE GUARDS MAGAZINE
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