National Geographic Photographs Then and Now

For more than a century, National Geographic's writers and photographers have crisscrossed the world, visiting and revisiting the most interesting, dramatic, extraordinary corners of our planet. And month after month enthralled readers and armchair travelers have accompanied them, going places they could never go and meeting people they would never otherwise encounter.

With pictures ranging from familiar American landscapes to exotic foreign scenes, the National Geographic archive is a treasure trove of images and observations -- and this book invites you to explore its wonderful diversity on a journey through time and across the Earth.

Photographs: Then and Now is playful...surprising...downright dazzling. In its provocative pairings of photographs -- one from years past and one from the present -- it offers a wonderful, wide-ranging array of reflections: the world as it was, and as it is today.

Gaze upon New York's Flatiron Building, a marvel of modern architecture circa 1917 -- and see it again in 1989, now dwarfed in scale by Manhattan's towers but still wonderful in its angularity. Here are Australian Aborigines in ancient ceremonial dress and their modern counterpart in jean jacket and cowboy hat. Along with the arresting images that record each far-flung region of the globe, you'll find an essay by a writer who knows the area well and captures its unique character with entertaining eloquence.

Panoramic and perceptive, the kind of book that only National Geographic could create, Photographs: Then and Now is a stunning celebration of our ever-changing, always fascinating world.

YA-National Geographic began publication in 1888 and so can rightly boast of more than a century's penetration of American homes, waiting rooms, and libraries. This handsome volume displays the cream of its enormous collection of images from early black-and-white photographs to those produced with today's digital technology. The collection is broken down into natural geographic sections, commencing with North America and ranging continentally through to the polar regions. Each picture has an excellent caption that provides explanation and insight. The photographer's name, the year the picture was taken, and location are included. A sort of super issue of the magazine itself, the book offers a satisfying variety of visual wonders. There are extraordinary aerial shots of the world's great cities by night, religious services of many varieties, celebrations of all sorts, presentations of diverse cultures and sceneries, and many vivid forms of portraiture. A stunning array of photographic history.
Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This beautiful, large-format volume benefits from the quality of National Geographic's exceptional photo archives, though it reflects the oft-noted NG shortcoming of superb visuals burdened by less-than-inspired text. The value here is in the juxtaposition of historic photographs, some in black and white or sepia, with contemporary portraits of similar places and people. These images often portray cultures in transition. The work, lifestyle, dress, and villages depicted in early prints as evidence of "purer" cultures now collide with the global materialism and corporate marketing that seem intent on bringing logo-drenched T-shirts and television to every corner of the world. The book is usefully divided by region: North America, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Oceania, and the Poles. Its strengths are the technical standard and quality of composition found in virtually every photograph. Recommended for its glimpses of cultures near and far, then and now.ADavid Bryant, New Canaan P.L., CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.