100 Days in Photographs: Pivotal Events that Changed the World, by Nick Yapp, Douglas Brinkley and Chris Johns, is a powerhouse blend of image and story. Photographs selected from the historic collections of the National Geographic Society and Getty Images show us our world, from 1851 to the present day, with both elevating and awful truth. Photography, says historian Brinkley in the book’s foreword, is a window onto our collective souls and struggles. This book, without a surfeit of unnecessary words, inarguably illustrates our human sufferings, but also our triumphs, curiosities and joys.
Presented in chronological order and accompanied by brief, succinct histories written by London-based journalist Yapp, the photographs reflect a gamut of ground-breaking and mind-boggling events, from the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, the fall of Saigon and the tumbling of the Berlin Wall, to a placid portrait of Dolly, the infamous cloned sheep. Photo captions give information about the photographers, their equipment and technique, and historic quotes round out the history behind each photograph.
Many of the images included here are disturbing; they remind of us our most terrible capabilities. But they are, says Brinkley, testimonials to an ever-evolving art form that teaches about ourselves. . . . And all we can do is be grateful for the discovery and recognition.
