The 1960s (Decades of the 20th Century)

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Summary: A great visual summary of the Sixties, mainly in Britain
Review: Earlier this year, I read an absolutely spectacular book on the Swinging London in the sixties, READY, STEADY, GO! by Shawn Levy. THE 1960S could serve as a visual companion volume to that book. The decade was unquestionably one of the most fascinating of the century, and provided a host of subjects worthy of being recorded visually. Happily, this book does a great job of capturing the decade, with only one caveat.

The caveat. In many ways, this is my favorite volume in the Decades of the Twentieth Century series edited by Nick Yap, but it is also the volume in which the lone weakness-if it is a weakness-of the series as a whole comes out: the profoundly Anglo-centric slant of each volume. Mind you, a lot of very exciting things were happening in Great Britain in the sixties, as noted above, especially in music, fashion, and youth. But I had a bit of trouble with the Sports section, for instance. Worldwide, I don't think that many people think back to the sixties and think of English athletes. There were a host of American athletes who far surpassed anyone in Great Britain. And no mention of most of the truly famous athletes of the 1960s, such as Jean Claude Killey. Few of them were represented in this book. Furthermore, many sports are not mentioned at all, such as baseball and basketball. This narrow focus on sports of importance to England lends a slightly parochial air to the book. But it is not merely in sport, but in almost every area of 1960s life that England is emphasized to a degree that distorts the overall balance. Like it or not, it was a decade that the United States dominated, and yet relatively few photographs of America are contained in its pages. Politicians and celebrities are represented, but not everyday folk. One whimsical English slant can be contained in the text of a photo of Elvis, upon being released from the military. The text says that he has finished his "national service," a phrase unheard of in the US.

Like the other books in this series, THE 1960S does a great job of presenting a huge number of great photographs. My favorites tended to be relatively unfamiliar photographs of famous people, though there are also a number of famous photographs as well. The overall effect at times is of looking at the British equivalent of an old LIFE magazine collection of photographs. This is an addictive series. I find myself going back to various volumes, looking at a photo, and then continuing to flip through the pages looking at new photos and reading the accompanying text, suddenly discovering that I have gone through a hundred pages. Very immersive, and definitely a lot of fun.

Rating:
Summary: The Hulton Getty Picture Collection 1960s
Review: WOW...Groovy...Nick Yapp has captured the essence of the 1960s in his comprehensive, graphic, detailed picture book. This small, concise, picture book is heavy in nostalgia. The photos of John and Yoko, Joplin, and the crazy fashions of the time are magnificient. The best recap of the 60s for the price that I have found. A quick review of this little gem, puts you right back on the picket line and in front of the stage at Woodstock. The photos are THAT good. The short descriptions are in English, German, and French and add a continental, world touch to this little treasure. A must for anyone who wants to remember the 60s with passion.