By Bob Tedder • Coffee table books which are designated for enjoyment and sharing in an actual coffee shop should have both general and specific traits. They should be of enough overall interest to warrant an initial glance yet possess enough specificity to encourage at least a cup-of-coffee-length examination. Barbara Cady’s “Icons of the Twentieth Century” more than satisfies both of these conditions.
First, the icons referred to in the title are people, not objects or events. As such it should be of great interest to fans of well-parsed biographies. However, do not expect a lengthy compilation of any particular subject’s life and accomplishments. Cady goes to great lengths to succinctly present her subjects. Each biography is limited to one page, mirrored by a black and white photograph of each person. Cady’s selection of people and photographs are the book’s primary strength.
The subtitle, “200 Men and Women Who Have Made a Difference,” indicates the volume’s scope but requires a more than cursory pause in its introduction to answer the question, “Why these particular 200?” There one discovers that the selection process was meticulously conducted by a broad-spectrum board of advisers in a balloting procedure with strict statistical weighting. The resulting 200 chosen are presented alphabetically (by surname) and range from Jane Addams to Emiliano Zapata.
There is absolutely no imperative to read this book front to back. My recommendation is to simply open the book at random and first examine the gorgeous photographs located on the right side of each page. It is quite acceptable not to read anything at all, for the shots have details that mesmerize. There is Ernest Hemingway hunting, dog and shotgun in hand with an enigmatic smile on his face as if he knows the shotgun is the one that would end his life. Perhaps you should pause and admire Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with a long-stemmed cigarette holder clenched in her renowned smile. Very few of the photographs are in common circulation so each is a revelation in itself. Although Cady’s biographies are concise and informative it is no great crime to skim her written word while you lose yourself in her forest of wonderful photographs.