Eyes of the Nation

More about the book

America's past is made intriguingly accessible through a captivating narrative-in-pictures, enhanced by seven chapters of historical commentary from distinguished historian Alan Brinkley. The book draws from the extensive Special Collections of the Library of Congress, featuring maps, prints, photographs, and more. It vividly chronicles the journey from early encounters between Europeans and Indians, through colonial times, the founding of the nation, industrialization, western expansion, and the transformative events of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, leading to the present day. The art selection by Vincent Virga and the Library's Curators brings each stage of the nation's development to life with striking visuals. Notable artifacts include an 1714 Indian treaty, a wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth, and a naval dispatch from 1941. The book also showcases intriguing elements of popular culture and social history, such as an 1776 eighteen-pence note, the first telegraphic tape, and a 1915 advertisement for the Pierce-Arrow automobile. Renowned American artists, from John James Audubon to Dorothea Lange, are beautifully represented. Detailed captions accompany the images, and thematic interludes explore four elemental aspects of the American experience: the garden, the river, the city, and our people. This audacious and sophisticated approach to history is both visual and textual, making it a unique and compelling