New York September 11 by Magnum Photographers

Book Overview

"The date, September 11, 2001, now has a certain permanence, graven on ourcollective memory, like a very few others December 7, 1941, and November 22, 1963, dates which seem to separate yesterday from today, and then from now. They become the rarest of moments; ordinary people will forever be able to tell you where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news, as if the terrible deed had happened to them, which in some ways it did." --from the introduction by David Halberstam By now, the story of September 11 has been burned into our collective memory, but few have seen New York from the perspective of Magnum photographers. Eleven members of the legendary photo agency immediately dispersed from their monthly meeting in New York as the events unfolded to document the incomprehensible. Their photographs, by turns haunting, surreal, and breathtaking, are collected together in New York September 11, by Magnum Photographers , compellingly presented in this high-quality edition from powerHouse Books. From their various vantage points we are transported to Ground Zero to witness the destruction of the World Trade Center, the buildings' implosion which sent thousands fleeing through the streets from debris, only to return to the scene in quiet observation and respect for the rescue workers whose jobs had only begun--and of the mourners who had been gathering struck with grief.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576871304
• ISBN13: 9781576871300
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: powerHouse Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 9.2" x 12.8"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Photography for a Tragic Day

This book was a very moving tribute for the 9/11 tragedy. I reviewed it for a video series that I am creating for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The photographs captured all of the emotions and colors that I read about. I enjoyed that they let the photography speak for itself. I was also touched that proceeds went to aid victims and their families. I would like to read more books by Magnum. They did an excellent job!

History as It Happened

A photographer, lounging in bed and unaware of the disaster unfolding a few blocks away, is awakened by a colleague with the news of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. In New York City for a meeting, and unfamiliar with the territory, he asks his colleague where the WTC is. "Follow the smoke, country boy," is her reply. This anecdote resonates on several levels. It tells us about how everyone, it seems, was affected on that day, and it tells us how one photojournalist, one of several Magnum photo agency photographers, was personally touched by the events. He and others, who had come from postings around the world to New York City for a meeting the day before, captured the images of the story of their professional lives. And, of course, it's about the dreadful smoke, the utter devastation as the Twin Towers first burned then collapsed in full view of millions.The Magnum book is an excellent record of the disaster. Even those who have seen hundreds of photos and TV accounts will find pictures that are worthy of extra study. As a record, it's excellent, though I have yet to find a book that has captured the entire story. It's probably too soon. But the starkness of many of the pictures, the shades of gray and blue as the concrete dust and soot spewed for blocks (and later miles) and then settled on everything an everyone, should be seen in still photo. It's very different from the moving images on TV and demand careful attention. The photos tell us that people sometimes do strange things, though they may be explicable. There's probably a reason that a woman sat on a rooftop in Brooklyn, with her baby, and watched the disaster, even though the choking smoke must have drifted over her pretty quickly. Perhaps she couldn't look away. The red, white and blue of an American flag adds just a touch of color to the otherwise smoky blue-gray centerpiece picture by Thomas Hoepker. It's a chilling picture, one capable of telling anyone who wasn't there what it really looked like, almost what it felt like. This book is absolutely a keeper for the future. Many are not the news pictures we've become familiar with because of the endless reruns on TV but that's what gives them extra value. As time passes, and memories fade, this book will remind us what it was like that awful day.

Buy this book

Excellent, moving collection by some of the top working photojournalists alive. Publishing under enormous pressure, within a remarkable timeframe, and proceeds go to an important cause. The nitpicking reviews are just unbelieveable. News flash: photojournalists working in 35mm, moving rapidly, with dust all over their lenses and film badly scratched from debris in the air will produce images that, when enlarged, look grainy. Look at the images and think about them. Non-photographers criticising technical aspects, as if this was a collection of fashion or outdoor adventure shots, is absurd.

A worthy and, at times, touching document.

It's startling to read the reviews of this book on the heels of having read the reviews for "One Nation," the book put out by Time-Life. It's clear that many people hold some pre-conceived notion about Magnum and are predisposed to panning this book. Well, I know nothing about Magnum. I've heard the name but I couldn't tell you anything about the company. What I can tell you is that I live in New York and I watched this entire thing happen from my window. I now own two books about 9-11 -- One Nation and this -- and for the best accounting of what happened that day,I have to give the edge to Magnum. There are pictures in this book that are exactly what I witnessed that day. I actually prefer that they rely on photographers to tell what they witnessed instead of having upper-crust "experts" put everything into perspective. Also, contrary to what a reviewer in Seattle says, the colors depicted in the Magnum book are accurate. During the day, the sun used to reflect off of the World Trade Center buildings. On that day, it was reflecting off of impossible clouds of smoke -- black and white -- and the eery gray and washed out blue was how it looked and felt here. Also, something this book does that One Nation doesn't do, is supply several pages in the back of the book -- "Farewell to the Towers" -- featuring photos of the Towers as they were. The final picture is of a woman on the Staten Island Ferry, the WTC and New York behind her -- smelling a bouquet of flowers. I like this book. Alot.

Amazing Record of an Unspeakable Tragedy

Those who were at Ground Zero have indicated that the photographs and television coverage can never give full justice to the scope of this incomprehensive act of villainy. However, this book provides a record as meaningful, as any other printed record, of September 11, now burned into the collective memory and psyche of all Americans. The photographs are indeed spectacular, yet poignantly haunting and tragic documentation of a day that will indeed "Live in Infamy."The photographers, true professionals all, present these compelling images of the destruction of the WTC, loss of life and subsequent rescue efforts. A tribute to the World Trade Center, a magnificent not only for its physical structure, but for its role as a symbol of freedom, includes pictures taken since the original construction of the Twin Towers since the 1970's.Portrayed in its horror, without the sense of exploitation, is what sets this apart from other books. The brief introduction by David Halberstam is also well done.

A hauntingly realistic tribute

As a survivor of the World Trade Center tragedy, I find it difficult to describe to others just what September 11th was like for me. This book places you in the streets of lower Manhattan, capturing the sights and emotions of a day that is burned into my memory. It is almost as if they were looking through my eyes when these pictures were taken. Magnum Photographers has created a fitting tribute to the World Trade Center, New York City, and all of us who were so deeply affected by the events of that day.