Magnum Soccer (Photography) [Hardcover]

Editors of Phaidon Press (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2002 | Series: Photography

There are few things that unify people across the world better than the game of football. More than just kicking a ball about, football stirs passions beyond rational thought, affecting the mood of a nation or even the fortunes of a government. Since the 1930s, various members of Magnum have photographed the world of football, documenting the teams, the supporters, and the game, from barefeet on African mud or a Brazilian beach, to kicking cans in the backstreets of Newcastle. This collection of photographs shows how deep the roots of football run and how wide they are spread, how football culture crosses every boundary of nationality, race and religion, how it throws up important social issues such as the empowerment of women through football in Iran and the bitter religious rivalry between Glasgow's two teams Rangers and Celtic. The photographs combine the beauty of the game itself with the aesthetic quality associated with the photographers of Magnum and provides a celebration of the "world game" as well as a social portrait of the world over a period of more than half a century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Magnum Photos was founded in 1947 by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger and Chim Seymour to free its photographers from the magazine values of the time so that they could shoot the work they wanted. Becoming legendary, Magnum has always precariously balanced the values of art and humanitarian journalism, and continues to do so today. Magnum's members and associated photographers include Eve Arnold, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Raymond Depardon, Elliott Erwitt, Leonard Freed, Josef Koudelka, Steve McCurry, Susan Meiselas, James Nachtwey, Martin Parr, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Larry Towell and Ferdinando Scianna. Photographer's Residence Various

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (May 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714842362
• ISBN-13: 978-0714842363
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photojournalism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Homage To the Beautiful Game!, November 24, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Magnum Soccer (Photography) (Hardcover)

An absolutely beautiful collection of about 200 black and white and color photographs celebrating the global sport known as football. Since its founding by a collective of photojournalists in the '40s Magnum has been one of the world's premier photo agencies, so it's not surprising that their archives have yielded such an array of compelling photos of the beautiful game. Few of the photos are of the high level world or professional ranks, rather they are of regular players and fans in the grimy cities, dusty villages, and muddy pitches of the world. Some are action shots, some are posed, some are impressionistic-but all are a tribute to the simplest of sports. Sure to delight devotees of either football or photography, it's an attractive and inexpensive collection that deserves wide readership.