Washington, D.C.: A Pictorial Celebration

by Jeanne Fogle, Elan Penn (Photographer)

Jeanne Fogle Lyons—a historian, professor, and certified tour guide in Washington—and Elan Penn, the gifted photographer who created the superb From Sea to Shining Sea , combine their talents to create a breathtaking and fascinating homage to America’s capital city.

Lavish images of fabled monuments, world-famous museums, distinguished universities, and lush parks—all accompanied by fascinating background information—pay tribute to the beauty and history of Washington, D.C. From government buildings such as the Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court to outdoor statues of Ulysses S. Grant, Mary Leo Bethune, and Mahatma Gandhi, this unique visual tour captures the city’s riches as never before. Visit Mount Vernon, George Washington’s splendid home and plantation; the awe-inspiring Lincoln Memorial; the Arlington National Cemetery, where the eternal flame burns over John F. Kennedy’s grave; and the Smithsonian, which protects the glories of our past. Watch government at work at the Federal Triangle Department Buildings, see the lovely sculpture garden at the National Gallery, and feel the magnificence of sacred structures such as St. John’s of Lafayette Square. Every photo, from Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln lost his life, to Maya Lin’s heartbreaking Vietnam Memorial, is inspirational.

Genres: Photography

160 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives the reader exactly what it promises. It's been years since I've visited the nation's capital, and, even if I were a resident, it's unlikely that I would ever take a tour as comprehensive as that offered by this book. Fogle and Penn's "Washington D.C." strikes a perfect balance between text and images. The book is also equally measured in its feast of patriotic and aesthetic insights.

"Washington, D.C." is divided into thirteen chapters, which cover everything from outdoor parks to federal bureaucratic buildings. The style, materials, and intent behind almost every structure is given in lucid detail. The author(s) are also quite good at dropping in an occasional anecdote that enlightens and entertains.

I learned quite a few new things about our nation's capital, and its architects. I would recommend this book to general readers, and, since it's quite accessible, I'd say it would be a good addition to any library catering to everything to an elementary to a post-secondary audience. And at roughly $10 (at least for Amazon Prime members), it's a steal.

[Ariadna73 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting to see something more than the president's house and the history of our executive branch of government; but this book has little more than that to offer. I think that it fails to show another forgotten face of this fabulous city. I hope the authors have written another book to fulfill this lack.