Vanity Fair: The Portraits: A Century of Iconic Images

This hefty, handsome volume contains the photographic works of some of the world's most important photographers whose images have graced the pages to Vanity Fair in the two periods of its publication - the beginning and the ending of the 20th century. This is a photographic collection that gives generous full page (and at time double page ) spreads of brilliant photographs by artists who gained permission to enter the lives of movie starts, artists, writers, government personalities, royalty, stage personas, the wealthy and the significant poor - they are all here in both lush color and black and white reproductions.

Not only is it fascinating to leaf through the 300 odd photographs of this book, but it is also rewarding to read the several introductory notes and essays by Graydon Carter, David Friend, and Christopher Hitchens - each of whom lends appreciation for not only the publication that influenced art and fashion and politics and world affairs, but also gave readers a tasteful and solidly informative way to view the world as the characters displayed here influenced our times. This is a collection of art and history married in a way that allows the reader time and contrasts to re-live the past and appreciate the developments that graced the years from 1900 to 2000.