Robert Capa, whose images of the Spanish Civil War brought home the hideous suffering of that conflict and brought Capa international fame, is the 20th century's most accomplished photographer of warfare. This collection of Capa's work demonstrates that he was more than a war photographer: he was a master of depicting ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances. The volume includes an essay by Cornell Capa, the photographer's brother and the founder of the International Center for Photography, as well as a foreword by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

From Publishers Weekly
Capa's (1913-1954) photographs have become icons of the horrors and futility of war. This volume contains some of his most dramatic pictures of the battles he covered?the Spanish Civil War, the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, the European theater during WWII, the Israeli War for Independence in 1948 and the French-Indochina War. Capa risked his life to capture these images, going ashore in Normandy with the first wave of troops to hit Omaha Beach on D-Day, parachuting into Germany with American troops in 1945 and accompanying French soldiers on a mission in Vietnam, where he was killed when he stepped on a land mine. Whelan (Alfred Stieglitz: A Biography) points out that Capa showed sympathy for soldiers and civilians on both sides of every conflict, and the compassionate aspect of his work is underscored by the inclusion of sensitive pictures that have nothing to do with war, such as scenes of Chinese children playing in the snow and a U.S. medic treating a German soldier in 1943. This beautifully produced book is a fitting tribute to one of the great photographers of our time. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Capa ranks among the century's most important photographers, yet this book is the first complete retrospective of his work. All the elements of fine photography?control of tones, composition, gathering light, and the nonintrusive presence of the camera?are found in Capa's work. Moreover, the photographer seemed to enjoy a special link to those he photographed, a characteristic that makes so many of his prints memorable and understandable to viewers. This book speaks of Capa's empathy and respect for his subjects, from strangers in the shadows of war to dear friends sharing joy. Capa had his finger on the camera's shutter at the perfect moment to capture a reality as cruel as a Loyalist militiaman taking a deadly bullet in the Spanish Civil War or as spirited as a children's snowball fight. Including a brief foreword by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a remembrance by Capa's brother, Cornell, this volume demonstrates Capa's artistic achievement with the full range of his images and the moods they capture in crisp reproductions. Highly recommended as a significant addition to any library collection.?David Bryant, New Canaan P.L., Ct.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Rosemary Ranck
Humor and warmth animate these pictures, as well as tragedy and loss ...

From Booklist
In September 1936, Capa earned the sobriquet, "the Greatest War Photographer in the World," that stuck to him ever after when he captured a just-shot Spanish civil warrior's dying fall--an image as familiar as any in photography's history. The young Hungarian exile understood that photographing war indelibly was less a matter of showing the fighting than of finding intimate moments affected by it. He continued finding such instants during warfare in Spain, China, Italy, France, Israel, and Vietnam, where in 1954 he was killed by a land mine. This selection of his best evokes a shock of recognition. Capa's photos have influenced our ingrained conception of the twentieth century's sad and violent second quarter. This is how 1930^-60 Europe and Asia look in the mind's eye. The album also shows that Capa appreciated everyday peacetime life and that he made famous friends: another of his best-known pictures shows old man Picasso at the beach, bearing an umbrella over young Francoise Gilot as she strides forward yet focusing not on her but on the camera lens. Ray Olson

Midwest Book Review
Robert Capa: Photographs is a major retrospective of incredible poetic and visual artistry with a camera. In these photographs we see the world through the eyes of a committed humanist and documentarian. Robert Capa: Photographs includes poignant comments by Capa's close friend Henri Cartier-Bresson and by Capa's younger brother Cornell Capa (who is the Founding Director of the International Center of Photography), as well as an historical essay by Robert Capa biographer Richard Whelan. The dramatic collection of images in Robert Capa: Photographs shows that he captured the very heart of humanity through "snapshots in time" of the 20th Century historical events through which he lived and experienced first-hand. Robert Capa: Photographs will be of intense interest to photographers, historians, and the general-nonspecialist reader interested in seeing through the artist's lens, views of the world that tell of the triumphs and tragedies, the comedies and strengths of ordinary men and women.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Foreword by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Introduction by Richard Whelan.

A classic retrospective anthology of the master photographer.

In these photographs, we see the world through the eyes of a driven humanist who was an artist as well as a documentarian of the finest caliber. Robert Capa: Photographs is the first true retrospective book of one of the century's greatest photographers. Drawing upon hundreds of previously unseen images, this collection reveals Capa in a new light — as one of the true poets of the camera. While previous volumes have focused on his role as a war photographer, Robert Capa: Photographs shows us the remarkable range of his work, which encompasses the sufferings as well as the tenderness, humor, and wonder of his subjects.

Photographs includes a foreword by Capa's close friend Henri Cartier-Bresson, as well as an informative historical essay by Capa biographer Richard Whelan.

Robert Capa was born in Budapest in 1913. He was first recognized for his photographs of the Spanish Civil War. On assignment for Life magazine in 1954, Capa was killed in Vietnam.

"Robert Capa: Photographs reminds us that the man who more or less invented war photography was also a sensitive portraitist." (New York magazine)

"A splendid retrospective." (Herbert Kupferberg, Parade magazine)

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Capa's (1913-1954) photographs have become icons of the horrors and futility of war. This volume contains some of his most dramatic pictures of the battles he coveredthe Spanish Civil War, the Japanese invasion of China in 1938, the European theater during WWII, the Israeli War for Independence in 1948 and the French-Indochina War. Capa risked his life to capture these images, going ashore in Normandy with the first wave of troops to hit Omaha Beach on D-Day, parachuting into Germany with American troops in 1945 and accompanying French soldiers on a mission in Vietnam, where he was killed when he stepped on a land mine. Whelan (Alfred Stieglitz: A Biography) points out that Capa showed sympathy for soldiers and civilians on both sides of every conflict, and the compassionate aspect of his work is underscored by the inclusion of sensitive pictures that have nothing to do with war, such as scenes of Chinese children playing in the snow and a U.S. medic treating a German soldier in 1943. This beautifully produced book is a fitting tribute to one of the great photographers of our time. (Sept.)

Library Journal