A couple years ago I was flipping through a few pictures books that covered American history. One dealt with the second World War and the other book dealt with the 1960's. While some may believe that a lack of text can undermine the presentation the truth is often the opposite. Many times, when the pictures are allowed to speak for themselves they provide an insight into a historical period that is unblemished by a third party translation of the period. That is, the images speak for themselves in a powerful, emotional manner.

This is why the release of the upcoming picture book 20th Century Russia in Photographs: 1900 to 1917is such an intriguing item. This is a period of history most people in the west are unfamiliar and it was also a time period that was the great precursor to what Russia would become in the 20th Century. Again, pictorial images can often convey an emotion that text is sometimes incapable. Considering the tumult that occurred during this period of great change in Russia the emotional impact this book carries must be powerful.