Category Archives: History

Dec 10 2013
2 Comments
Books, History

The Norman We Never Knew

New biography reveals much about famous illustrator

AmericanMirror American Mirror

By Deborah Soloman

Hardcover, 494 pages ($28, Farrar, Straus and Girous)

Norman Rockwell, the illustrator who idealized small-town Americana through his covers for The Saturday Evening Post and other assignments, gets put under the microscope in this detailed, meticulously researched biography. In addition to telling the stories behind many of his iconic pictures, the author, who was granted access to the celebrated painter’s previously unpublished letters and other writings, also paints her own colorful portrait of a complex, complicated and often contradictory man—a frequently misunderstood, conflicted artist whose well-known work offered only one dimension, as it turns out, to a much more fascinating life story.

 —Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged ,
Dec 05 2013
Leave a comment
DVDs, History, Pop Culture

Seeing Deeper

Examining two centuries of photography and its artistry

Photo_DVD

Photo: A History From Behind the Lens

DVD $49.99 (Athena/RLJ Entertainment)

We take it for granted now that cameras are practically synonymous with cell phones, but photography hasn’t been around forever. (Only about 200 years, to be exact.) This 12-part documentary offers an entertaining, enlightening examination of the art form’s past and present and looks ahead to its high-tech future, using playful animation to illustrate complicated concepts and covering its many facets and uses. A companion booklet features a history of cameras and a timeline of photographic breakthroughs. So as you’re taking that next selfie or other snapshot, remember, there’s two centuries of technology, trial-and-error and artistry behind that simple “click.”

—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged
Nov 19 2013
Leave a comment
Books, History

Going Up!

Big book of world’s tallest buildings is shaped to suit its subject  

Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers

By Judith Dupré

Hardcover, 176 pages ($26.95, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)

A skyscraper of a book itself, this super-tall 9”x18” volume mirrors its subjects: the world’s tallest buildings. With oversize, full-color photos, specs and a history of awe-inspiring vertical masterpieces all around the globe—including such iconic American landmarks as the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Willis (formerly Sear) Tower, plus an array of newer creations in Europe, China, the Middle East and India—it’s an inspiring, eye-popping, soaring architectural tour, one that might just leave you feeling a little bit light-headed.

—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged , , , , ,
Nov 13 2013
Leave a comment
Books, History

Wide Open Spaces

Panoramic photos show a spectrum of early 20th century America

TheBigPicture

The Big Picture

By Josh Sapan

Hardcover, 144 pages ($29.99, Princeton Architectural Press)

The invention of flexible film (as opposed to solid plates) in the late 1800s sparked a revolution in devices that could take “panoramic” photos. Before long, it seemed, just about everyone—and every kind of group—was hiring a photographer with one of the newfangled cameras, some of which could take a single image encompassing a full 360 degrees. These delightful reproductions from the collection of Sapan (the CEO of the company that operates the American Movie Channel, the Independent Film Channel and the Sundance Channel)—of circus performers, rodeo cowboys and Indians, football and baseball teams, church groups, Ku Klux Klan members, college students, beachgoers, firemen and policeman, tradesmen, bathing beauties, soldiers and more—offer a wildly diverse cross-section of early 20th century America, in all its wonderful, wide-angle splendor.

—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged , ,
Nov 07 2013
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, History

Up, Up & Away

1983 tale of America’s first space cowboys shines on Blu-ray

TheRightStuff

The Right Stuff: 30th Anniversary Edition

Blu-ray $27.98 (Warner Home Video)

Director Philip Kaufman’s acclaimed 1983 drama about America’s space race and the original seven astronauts of Project Mercury—adapted from writer Tom Wolfe’s equally acclaimed 1979 bestseller—came to the screen in an era before computerized razzle-dazzle and the wizardry of digital special effects. But no matter: It remains a rocket ride of high-spirited, spunky adventure that perfectly captures the space-cowboy tone of the times, spurred along by a dream cast of Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey and Levon Helm. The commemorative Blu-ray comes with a generous load of bonus features, including several documentaries, a profile of real-life astronaut John Glenn, and commentary by the director, cast and crew.

—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Nov 05 2013
1 Comment
DVDs, History

For History Buffs

Watching World War II unfold from every angle

WWII3FilmCollection

WWII 3-Film Collection

Blu-ray $29.99, DVD $24.98

(Lionsgate/A&E Consumer Products)

Here’s one DVD set that will keep armchair history buffs glued to their seats for hours—11 of them, to be exact! This five-disc collection of three History channel specials (WWII in HD, WWII in HD: The Air War and WWII From Space) offers expert examinations of the world’s most destructive conflict from three different perspectives, using combinations of first-person accounts, gripping narration, rare restored color film footage and stunning computer-graphic simulations that show what battles, troop movements and other key events would have looked like if they could have been tracked with modern-day satellite technology.

—Neil Pond, American Profile Magazine

Tagged , ,
Newer posts →