UPDATED: Read The New York Times preview.
To cover the Vietnam War, the Associated Press gathered an extraordinary group of superb photojournalists in its Saigon bureau, creating one of the great photographic legacies of the 20th century. Collected in “Vietnam: The Real War” (Abrams; Oct. 1, 2013; 304 pages; 300 photographs; US $40.00/CAN $45.00/UK £25.00) are images that tell the story of the war that left a deep and lasting impression on American life.
From Malcolm Browne’s photograph of the burning monk to Nick Ut’s picture of a 9-year-old running from a napalm attack to Eddie Adams’ photograph of the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner, this book contains the pictures that both recorded and made history, taken by unbelievably courageous photojournalists. In a moving essay, writer Pete Hamill, who reported from Vietnam in 1965, celebrates their achievement.
“Vietnam: The Real War” features more than 50 photojournalists, including Eddie Adams, Horst Faas, Henri Huet, Nick Ut and Dang Van Phuoc, and highlights the work of such distinguished war correspondents as Peter Arnett, Malcolm Browne and Seymour Topping. A chronological text that is woven throughout places their work in historical context.
As the world begins to look back from the vantage point of half a century, this is the book that will serve as a photographic record of the drama and tragedy of the Vietnam War.
An exhibition at the Steven Kasher Gallery in Manhattan will coincide with the book’s publication. It will open Oct. 24 and run through Nov. 26. More than 60 photographs will be on view.
“Across the years of the war in Vietnam, the AP photographers saw more combat than any general,” Hamill writes in his introduction. “This book shows how good they were. As a young reporter, I had learned much from photographers about how to see, not merely look. From Vietnam, photographers taught the world how to see the war. Say the word ‘Vietnam’ today to most people of a certain age; the image that rises is usually a photograph. An AP photograph.”
About the book
Vietnam: The Real War
Abrams; Oct. 1, 2013
By The Associated Press
Essay by Pete Hamill
304 pages; 300 color and black-and-white photographs
Hardcover US $40.00/CAN $45.00
ISBN: 978-1-4197-0864-0
Available as an eBook
Contact
Paul Colford
Director of Media Relations
The Associated Press
212.621.1895
pcolford@ap.org
Erin Madigan White
Senior Media Relations Manager
The Associated Press
212.621.7005
emadigan@ap.org
Gabby Fisher
Senior Publicist
Abrams Books
212.519.1202
gfisher@abramsbooks.com
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