Modern History in Pictures: A Visual Guide to the Events that Shaped Our World Hardcover – September 17, 2012

Worth the money.

In the last decade, Dorling Kindersley Publishing and the Smithsonian have combined talents to produce a series of eye-catching, wonderfully-illustrated volumes on subjects like Military History, the Earth, Animals, Natural History, etc. MODERN HISTORY IN PICTURES, A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD is another such joint effort, this particular volume being published in 2012. Although it covers its subject, I have to say I was disappointed in the package.Arranged chronologically, MODERN HISTORY IN PICTURES is divided by decades - 1900-09, 1910-1919, 1920-1929, etc. Each chapter opens with a time-line followed by two-page, illustrated write-ups highlighting significant events of that decade. The 1950-59, for instance, has entries for 'The Rock and Roll Explosion,' 'McCarthyism,' 'The Decolonization of Africa,' 'Korean War,' Hungarian Revolution,' 'Suez Crisis,' 'A Century of Cinema,' 'War in Algeria' and 'Che Spreads the Revolution.''The Rock and Roll Explosion' mentioned above features ten blurbs on significant dates in 1950s rock history: 12/10/1949 - Fats Domino scores with his song 'The Fat Man;' 12/30/1952 - a brief bio of Chuck Berry; 07/30/1954 - Elvis Presley tears it up at the Shell Theater in Memphis; 05/20/1955 - Bill Haley has a global hit with 'Rock Around the Clock,' etc. Each blurb has an accompanying b&w or color photograph.The book includes over 1,000 b&w and color pix, maps, posters, illustrations and what-not. A few two-page photographs are scattered throughout the book; most are much smaller as befits the storyboard format. Compared to the other DK/Smithsonian efforts, many of which were visual delights, I thought the visual presentation of the MODERN HISTORY IN PICTURES materials was rather staid.In any case, have a look at MODERN HISTORY IN PICTURES. You may find, as the inside cover claims, "astonishing photography and clear, compelling text...that shows you history as you've never seen it before." I'll go along with the text comment but thought the "astonishing photography" could have been more imaginatively presented. Recommended with reservations.

If you like pictures and history but not tons of fine print reading this is the book of Modern History - if a picture is a thousand words you'll never be able to read the whole book! :-)