Steichen At War [Hardcover]

Edward Steichen (Author), Christopher Phillips (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (August 19, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517632276
• ISBN-13: 978-0517632277
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,512,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steichen's stunning Pacific War photo record revealed, November 5, 2007

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Bob Armstrong (Katy, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Steichen at War: The Navy's Pacific Air Battles (Hardcover)

Edward Steichen virtually created the world of high fashion and advertising photography, but his military coverage of two World Wars was equally remarkable. He received the Croix de Guerre for pioneering photoreconnaissance as part of Pershing's American Expeditionary Force in 1918, and his team's shots of the American Navy's advance across the Pacific from 1942 to 1945 form the visual core of our memory of that crucial period. Tragically, however, Steichen's thousands of incisive images of military action were dissolved into the morass of the National Archives, and attempts to retrieve specific subjects of his are often as effective as trying to taste fine brandy after pouring it into a swimming pool.

Hence the value of retrospectives such as Christopher Phillips' hefty book on Steichen's coverage of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific War. Combining skillfully chosen anecdotes from Steichen's life with vivid evocation of the pioneering photographer's joy in capturing memorable images, Phillips gives us not only an unforgettable slice of Steichen's work but also enough historical background to let readers sense the excitement and drama of a nation's best young warriors fighting for freedom's sake. Lieutenant Commander Steichen's parade of images didn't begin until after the pivotal Battle of Midway in June 1942, but the ensuing carrier warfare and savage island fighting appear in unforgettable clarity. As in all great photographs, the humanity of the subjects shines through amid their triumph, or pain, or mere existence. Students of both military history and photography can spend days poring over these astonishingly revealing images.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steichen at War: The Navy's Pacific Air Battles, August 11, 2005

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B. Phillips "conrad the wise" (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Steichen at War: The Navy's Pacific Air Battles (Hardcover)

Consider how Christopher Phillips wrote this in 1983 well before his popular philosophy books such as Six Questions of Socrates, The Philosopher's Club and Socrates Cafe. Then in 1987 Steichen himself wrote on this topic. How does it all relate? Carefully....

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strichen At War, August 11, 2005

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B. Phillips "conrad the wise" (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Steichen At War (Hardcover)

It is intriquing to see the development of Christopher Phillips as an author through the eyes of his early works on Edward Steichen. Consider how this by Steichen himself relates to Christopher Phillips. Christopher Phillips writes on Strichen's life early in his career. Now he has gone on to more recent, popular works such as Socrates Cafe.