Korea: As Seen by Magnum Photographers

by Magnum Photos

More than 230 full-color images by some of the world's most-renowned photographers. South Korea, with its craggy hillsides, gnarled trees, and ancient temples, is steeped in tradition yet, at the same time, is thoroughly modern―the tenth-ranking industrial power in the world. Its capital city, Seoul, is one of the most populous cities in the world and home to such cutting-edge buildings as the Samsung Tower Palace.The beautiful landscape and day-to-day details of life in South Korea are depicted here in images taken by the photographers of Magnum―the famed cooperative whose members are among the greatest photographers of our time. Here we see a rich culture that both respects a dynamic cultural history and celebrates the latest trends in fashion, technology, and architecture. These extraordinary photographs are set in their historical context by an insightful text by historian Bruce Cumings. 247 color photographs

Genres: Photography

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2008

About the author

Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in New York City, Paris, London, and Tokyo.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photographs in this book are outstanding, 5 stars to that. But the set-up of this book is weird. Why are all the captions in the back of the book??? I had to read the whole book with my hand in the back, constantly flipping to read about what I was looking at. So that was strange to say the least, but the pictures were great and I loved the inside look into South Korea, the people, the land, and the culture. oh ya, and the food :)

[Anton Klink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent photos, however to my dismay I found that the bulk of the caption text is only viewable at the end of the book. To be able to connect the captions to the photos, one would constantly have to leaf back and forth between the pictures and the captions - a mayor annoyance when trying to enjoy the book. Four stars for the photos, two stars for the design decision not to include the captions underneath the photos but at the very end gives a total of 3 stars out of 5.

[Margarite Baltruweit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beautiful landscape and day-to-day details of life in South Korea are depicted here in images taken by the photographers of Magnum—the famed cooperative whose members are among the greatest photographers of our time.