Life Magazine, The Power & the Glory: An Illustrated History of the United States Military ~ Time Inc., September 2002. An issue from the special issue era of Life Magazine. Trade paperback, 128 pages, fully illustrated. Overall condition: VERY FINE. Study my scan, this is the copy you will be getting.

LIFE brings you the illustrated history of the U.S. Military with a stirring introduction by the heroic war veteran Senator Bob Dole. Here is the story of the American Military in pictures, from George Washington's Continental Army to the ground troops in Afghanistan, from John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme Richard to the deck of the USS Eisenhower stationed in the Gulf. The action photography is here ¾ Robert Capa's famous images from the Normandy beaches, June 6, 1944 ¾ and some surprises as well (Alfred Eisenstaedt's marvelous photo essay on West Point from LIFE's second-ever issue, re-run here on the occasion of the Academy's 200th birthday). The histories of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are detailed, and the heroes are profiled. The spirit is stirred in this LIFE book.

Remember, this issue of life is a heavy magazine. You may get it at a bargain price but that doesn't make any cheaper to ship. International bidders in particular should keep this in mind. As always, combine lots to save on shipping.

Life magazine has been published in a variety of incarnations. Although there was a Life Magazine published from 1883 to 1936, for most of us, Life brings to mind the pioneering weekly photo magazine published by Time Inc. from November 23, 1936, to December 8, 1972. For almost two generations Life documented American life, popular culture, and news with an array of often spectacular photographs printed on high quality coated paper stock. In the early-1970s, Life's gigantic circulation and broad appeal actually limited the magazine as an advertising vehicle. Only the most broad of advertisers could justify the seemingly massive fees demanded by a circulation as large as Life. Weekly publication ended with the December 8, 1972, issue. Generally, no issue from the 1936 to 1972 run can be considered anything less than plentiful. Original circulations were never less than 380,000 (the first issue) and generally in the millions of copies. Life was also one of those magazines that people hated to throw away therefore many copies have survived for collectors.

From 1972 to 1978, Time Inc. published ten Life Special Reports which, with little fanfare, sold well enough to prove the continued viability of the Life brand. In October 1978, Life returned as an illustrated monthly general interest news feature magazine. This monthly incarnation of Life lasted for 22 years until the May 2000 issue. This is a much more difficult era of Life to collect. Somehow during the eight years of irregular publication Life became disposable. Printed on more flimsy light weight paper, issues from 1978 to 2000 are often difficult to find in sound condition.

Finally, from October 1, 2004, to April 20, 2007, Life existed as a 20 page weekly newspaper supplement. Initial circulation figures were around 12 million copies per issue but as newspapers dropped the feature this rapidly declined. Again, printed on more flimsy light weight paper, issues of this most recent Life incarnation were easy to throw away after the weekend was past.

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Time Inc. (September 2002)
• ISBN: 1929049854
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.8 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• List Price: $9.99
• Out-of-Print