1940s: Images from the 20th Century

Images of the 20th Century

by Nick Yapp, Hulton Getty (Photographs), Konemann (Publisher)

A collection of photographs drawn from the Getty Images collection presented in ten volumes. Trilingual throughout (English/German/French)

Genres: History, Photography, Nonfiction, Art, Art and Photography, Reference, World War II

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Nicholas Yapp 1938-

Reviews

[Володимир Демченко · Rating 5 out of 5]

Урвав цей міні-альбом на барахолці за безцінь і не нарадуюсь. Історія 40х років крок за кроком у світлинах і підписах до них. Декада роздерта надвоє на війну і повоєнну відбудову: людська драма і трагедія, світова політика, любов, надія і довгоочікуваний мир. Колекція фотографій справді потужна і репрезентативна, хоча на сучасний лад може викликати обурення «чого це все показано через призму західної людини»….ну певне тому, що це показано людьми які знімали, впорядкували зберегли. Якщо натрапите на інші альбоми з цієї серії - беріть не роздумуючи !

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick Yapp presents an excellent collection of photographs of events of the 1940s taken from the Hulton Getty Picture Collection. But what did we expect other than war? The answer is practically nothing for once World War II was over, there were other conflicts around the world, in Europe, North Africa, the Pacific and the Atlantic, Burma, China, the Philippines, and the Soviet Union.
Most of the images in the book are therefore, not surprisingly, concerning death and destruction.

Fortunately we do have other images such as Stanley Matthews taking a corner for an RAF XI in 1943; ladies wearing Christian Dior's 'New Look' fashion - and there is one particular image that shows another lady looking at the New Look-dressed lady with utter disdain; Earl Wavell and Lord Mountbatten overseeing the last days of the Raj; film stars such as Rita Hayward, Yves Montand, Mickey Rooney, Ingrid Bergman, Edward G Robinson - watching a football match in the UK - James Cagney, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - dressed for their unlikely roles in the film 'The Dancing Masters' - Lucille Ball and James Cagney all caught in off-screen moments; the last of the relay runners bringing the flaming torch into the stadium to herald the start of the 1948 Olympic Games in London and a rather charming young lady modelling the sensational new bikini at the Molitor Pool in Paris. These and other such images do at least bring moments of light relief.

But the all-pervading atmosphere of the book is one of doom and gloom with many images of war-torn battlefields, desolated cities, homeless families, evacuating children, dying soldiers, prisoner of war camps and children playing on bomb sites. But, after all, that was probably what those dark days of the 1940s were remembered for, so we should not be surprised at what we see. And all the images are up to the usual professional standard of good quality press photographs.

[Andy Paciorek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it a 3.5 overall.
4 to 5 for the photographs and interesting snippets of information but points deducted for the format's too small, cramped size but mostly because the photographers aren't credited, (yet space is made to advertise the sale/licensing of the images).
There are some fantastic shots and in some instances the photographers put their own lives at risk taking the images. Only a couple of photographers' names are given. Any and All that were known should have been properly credited.

[Yadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cruelty of war should be reminded

[Chy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ughhh I hate giving 1 star reviews, but this book just wasn’t for me.

I understand that the 40s were a turbulent and depressing decade however so much of the focus on this installment was on the war that flipping through the pictures got real depressing real fast and I was hoping for a bit more variety than what was given.

[Madame Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing photographs chronicling WWII. This book was an asset while doing a history project on the 1940s.

[Noebonaerense90 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eurocentrico, pero interesante. Pone realmente en perspectiva la devastación material de la guerra.

[Cole Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a picture book with commentary on WWII. Always an interesting topic but executed okay, not amazingly. Also too small for a picture book.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the eclectic selection of photographs yeilds a view of the 1940s that is more piecemeal than comprehensive, this book still managed to impress, inform and even move me.

For me, the most powerful image in the book (on page 154), is of a tray of wedding rings, stripped from prisoners at Buchenwald Camp before they were gassed.

You can see it here
The reproduction in the book was much better.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish this was larger. I was expecting a coffee-table sized book and instead found myself, at times, holding the book about an inch from my face in an attempt to see the details of a photograph. That being said, one of best parts of this book are the photographs of women doing what were then and even now considered very "unwomanly" things, basically men's jobs, such as fighting fires or working with steel, and of course, looking completely glamourous and simultaneously bada** while doing so. Hats off to these women, both in history and in the here and now.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1940s

Le mie foto preferite:
July 1941, legs painted to resemble stockings against clothes rationing


Welcome kiss

[Cathleen Keisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I choose this book because a dear friend of mine recommended it to me. The book is a quick summarize of the last decades of the 20th century. Some of the images are quite wholesome and funny. And some of them are quite sad and devastating. It helped me learn better the past and history. The book is translated in Spanish, English and Italian. I recommend this book for people who would like to learn the past and its history.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1940s

Le mie foto preferite:

July 1941, legs painted to resemble stockings against clothes rationing
http://24.media.tumblr.com/5fc07bff9d...

Welcome kiss
http://api.ning.com/files/jsQ7Ti*8sJ*...

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was sort of just a little historical picture book with captions underneath it. I found it particularly interesting after reading Unbroken and Shanghai Girls, which were both set in the 1940s. I'm more interested in history now, than when I was younger, and found this to be nice to look at and read.

[Stephanie Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this -guess I expected the photos to be more of the U.S. and less of the U.K. They're great for what they are and now I'd like to do some research on one of the photographers.
~Stephanie

[Arpad Okay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little heavy on the WWII imagery, but another excellent collection.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book of photos, it's ok.

[Faa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great coffeetable book for browsing.

[Nancy Raines]

Decades of the 20th Century

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

another good one in this series.