Five Thousand Days: Press Photography in a Changing World [Hardcover]

Harold Evans (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2004

?Five Thousand Days? is an extraordinarily collection of photographs charting one of the most momentous periods of change in human history. With an introduction by the celebrated newspaper editor Sir Harold Evans, it represents the very best of press photography over the last fifteen years. From the collapse of Communism in 1989 to the present day; our times have seen a rapid and unprecedented shift from a world dominated by the uneasy stand off between two superpowers, to one threatened by the unpredictable menace of global terrorism, suicide bombings and rogue states. Selected by the British Press Photographers Association from the work of its members, this collection encompasses everything from shattering global events such as September 11 to startling, surprising, humorous and beautiful pictures of the politics, sports, arts and entertainment of the period.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Because images from the fall of communism in Prague and Romania open this arresting collection of British photojournalism, the 5,000 figure seems to refer to that watershed political moment. But the actual reason for the book is to celebrate photojournalism as newspapers have begun to print photos in color and digital cameras have changed the form's nature over the past 14 years: "[T]he run of British newspapers both national and provincial has finally come to appreciate the photograph on its own merits, rather than as an illustration," as Evans writes. American readers, at least, will notice the British press's comparative acceptance of violence and its grisly aftermath on the front pages of its papers. But a photograph of a shirtless hostage in Moscow, for example, slumped against a bus window during a gas attack by Chechen terrorists, indicates that crossing the border into putative tastelessness can impart visceral poetry in people's daily read. A fair number of the 600-some images from 270 photographers embody Evans's ideal: a "meaningful image" that merges with a "visual moment" that "directs the eye." Divided into newspaper categories (hard news, sports, arts and entertainment, etc.), the book includes only a few misses, but they don't deter from the collection's overall vibrancy.
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From the Author

Harold Evans is one of the most influential names in the newspaper world. He was the editor of The Sunday Times from 1967 to 1981 and editor of The Times from 1981 to 1982. He was named Editor of the Year in 1973.

Evans is internationally recognized as an authority on the use of photography in the media; his definitive book on press photography, Pictures on a Page, first published in 1978, is still in print 25 years later. He has received lifetime achievement awards from, among others, the International Center of Photography and the British Press Awards. In 2004, Harold Evans was knighted for services to journalism.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: David & Charles Publishers (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0715319043
• ISBN-13: 978-0715319048
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 10.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,663,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dramatic View of the Past 14 Years by the British Press, January 4, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five Thousand Days: Press Photography in a Changing World (Hardcover)

Press photographers have long been the source of some of our most dramatic photography: simply pick up any newspaper any day and see the tragedy of the latest tsunami, the devastation of the war in Iraq, the coverage of the viscera of sports events, and more.

The British Press is less scrutinized for public acceptance than is the American Press and the result is a closer, unedited view of world events that populate the pages of this enormously interesting book. In his forward Harold Evans explains the differences between British and American photojournalists and invites the viewer to gasp and be prepared for some of the grisly events as well as to be exhilarated by some of the more joyous ones.

FIVE THOUSAND DAYS: PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY IN A CHANGING WORLD covers the period from 1990 to 2004 - 14 years of events that justifies the content from the revolution in Prague to the winning of the Gold Cup. In this melange we see the battlefields of Chechnya strewn with corpses, devastated homes, soldiers on the front lines, terrorists from Moscow down to the Middle East - sites of suffering and misery that could never be staged except by war-driven means. But just as quickly we are given many close-up views of British Royalty in both traditional and unsanitized form: there is a picture of Margaret Thatcher in garishly white makeup after the close of her regime! Likewise the photojournalists have celebrated the masses of common folk in the stadiums of sport games, extraordinary in-action shots of the boundless energies of sportsmen at work/play, and even an extended look at the world of the Arts and Fashion.

This is one of those books that intrigues the eye and the mind, for between these two covers exists a relative short period of time so full of events, casualties, political upheavals, and celebrations that 14 years seems a lifetime. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 2005

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yet another news photo book, July 25, 2009

By 

R. M. Lang "In Amsterdam" (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Five Thousand Days: Press Photography in a Changing World (Hardcover)

Yaaawn. Yet another news photo book. Without accompanying texts these photos are as boring as any other you would find in your shoe box. Alas, these photos don't have any accompanying texts.