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Book Description
An amazing collection of true-colour photographs from the early 20th century
Product Description
In 1909 the millionaire French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn embarked on an ambitious project to create a colour photographic record of, and for, the peoples of the world. As an idealist and an internationalist, Kahn believed that he could use the new Autochrome process, the world's first user-friendly, true-colour photographic system, to promote cross-cultural peace and understanding.
Until recently, Kahn's huge collection of 72,000 Autochromes remained relatively unheard of. Now, a century after he launched his project, this book and the BBC TV series it accompanies are bringing these dazzling pictures to a mass audience for the first time and putting colour into what we tend to think of as an entirely monochrome age.
Kahn sent photographers to more than 50 countries, often at crucial junctures in their history, when age-old cultures were on the brink of being changed for ever by war and the march of twentieth-century globalisation. They documented in true colour the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, the last traditional Celtic villages in Ireland, and the soldiers of the First World War. They took the earliest known colour photographs in countries as far apart as Vietnam and Brazil, Mongolia and Norway, Benin and the United States. In 1929 the Wall Street Crash forced Kahn to bring his project to an end. He died in 1940, but left behind the most important collection of early colour photographs in the world.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This heavyweight hardback is an absolute treasure. It reproduces a selection of colour photos from a personal archive which was started by Albert Kahn in 1909. The collection runs through the next twenty years until Kahn's finds ran out in 1931, and so records all aspects of life at the beginning of the 20th century.
Kahn, a millionaire banker, despatched a team of photographers around the world to capture the essence of many different cultures. He established a collection of over 72,000 photos -- many of them in colour, which was the ground-breaking technology of the time. This book gives an overview of the collection with some of the most fascinating / poignant images organised by location; Europe, The Americas, Balkans, Middle East, Indochina and Far East, with special sections for the First World War and Portraits plus essays on the man himself and how autochrome photography was used.
I adored the TV series which accompanied the book, and longed to see more of the images with a more detailed expert commentary (although it doesn't look as if the BBC are going to put it out on dvd -- shame!). This book fulfils that expectation, offering a simply massive selection of images accompanied by an explanation of when, where, who and what the heck is happening.
Some of the shots are completely everyday (like 'men moving furniture, Reims, 1917) or 'men cutting stone, Shenyang, 1913) but every shot reveals an array of information about the era and the people. Many photos show a time before an industrial revolution (where a monolithic stone is laboriously cut by hand, for instance), or highlight the horrors of the landscape of the First World War in France. There are some simply terrifying pictures taken from a soldier's viewpoint across the battlefield, and some wonderful shots of early submarines, airships and biplanes.
The book contains 368 photos in colour and runs to nearly 350 pages. It's a technical achievement in itself -- to have reproduced the slightly surreal colours of autochrome like this must have taken months of careful work. The text is ideal, too; succinct, informative and revealing.
Perfect gift for anyone who has an interest in 20th century history.
9/10
Kahn, a millionaire banker, despatched a team of photographers around the world to capture the essence of many different cultures. He established a collection of over 72,000 photos -- many of them in colour, which was the ground-breaking technology of the time. This book gives an overview of the collection with some of the most fascinating / poignant images organised by location; Europe, The Americas, Balkans, Middle East, Indochina and Far East, with special sections for the First World War and Portraits plus essays on the man himself and how autochrome photography was used.
I adored the TV series which accompanied the book, and longed to see more of the images with a more detailed expert commentary (although it doesn't look as if the BBC are going to put it out on dvd -- shame!). This book fulfils that expectation, offering a simply massive selection of images accompanied by an explanation of when, where, who and what the heck is happening.
Some of the shots are completely everyday (like 'men moving furniture, Reims, 1917) or 'men cutting stone, Shenyang, 1913) but every shot reveals an array of information about the era and the people. Many photos show a time before an industrial revolution (where a monolithic stone is laboriously cut by hand, for instance), or highlight the horrors of the landscape of the First World War in France. There are some simply terrifying pictures taken from a soldier's viewpoint across the battlefield, and some wonderful shots of early submarines, airships and biplanes.
The book contains 368 photos in colour and runs to nearly 350 pages. It's a technical achievement in itself -- to have reproduced the slightly surreal colours of autochrome like this must have taken months of careful work. The text is ideal, too; succinct, informative and revealing.
Perfect gift for anyone who has an interest in 20th century history.
9/10
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a fantastic book. Richly illustrated, with just enough contextual information to make sense of each picture but not so much as to detract from the images themselves, which are the main feature. The ultimate "coffee table" book!
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a beautiful book full of mesmerising pictures and worth every penny. It is a remarkable thought to think that these scenes are frozen from over almost 100 years. A wonderful book by Okuefuna
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Beautiful photos
This book. Is filled with early color photos and would be a treasure just for the content of these photos from all over the world but they are beautiful also. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jamackay
Wonderful book for those who don't want a long read
I bought this book for my father for Christmas. He really does not have the time to read but loved this book of history in pictures with a little reading of explanation for the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mrs Jacqueline A Finch
Go back in time with The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn.
If you have always wonder what if feels like to travel to bygone eras, this is the book for you. The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn: Colour Photographs from a Lost age allows me to... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Caroline Chen Wei Lin
a wonderful book
The photographs are not only beautiful but also meaningful. It's really moving to witness life in a epoch that is now history, this album brings it very close and present. Read more
Published 15 months ago by nvd
THe dawn of colour photo-jounalism
Having seen the BBC documentary series (which was magnificent) I was very pleased to find the book of the film available. Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. CUNLIFFE
good purchase for the art lover.
In most libraries will be a reference item so for the price it is a very good offer unless you're willing to spend a lot of time rooting through second hand bookshops. Read more
Published 18 months ago by fish and chips
The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn:
The images are captivating - the colour technique gives a special vibrancy to them - and of course they are extraordinarily evocative of a lost age
Published 22 months ago by michael rampling
Excellent Images
Book is excellent. Depending on your preference, you may or may not like it entirely. A lot of great images, but also an extensive written commentary for nearly every image. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Jonathan R. Tan
Wonderful imagery, beautiful book
This is a very nice book, very good quality. I found out about it whilst reading an article in a newspaper and thought the subject sounded interesting. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. C. Coe
Tip of the tops
This book is fabulous! As soon as I got the parcel from courier office and dragged it home I went through it whole with my mouth open. Read more
Published on 20 April 2010 by M. Ciska
Listmania!
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