“Magic is the word we [photographers] use to describe what we discovered…when we think we’ve captured in a photograph some missing feeling, or hidden beauty, or bit of mystery from the fabric of life.” —John Loengard

John Loengard, one of the great LIFE magazine photographers, sums up his 50-year career in this handsome volume. His subjects include movie stars, writers, politicians, artists, and other photographers, as well as everyday people engaged in a host of extraordinary activities—or, rather, typical activities rendered unforgettable and compelling by the photographer’s vision. From a shimmering Marilyn Monroe to a man dozing on the beach, from a guffawing Ronald Reagan to Henri Cartier-Bresson flying a kite, from a groundskeeper in Dublin to picnickers in Central Park, Loengard’s vision moves us with its humanity and artistry.

John Loengard’s own commentaries on his pictures enlarge our understanding and deepen our appreciation of them. These vivid texts—who knew that the term silhouette was the name of Louis XV’s budget-conscious finance minister?—help us to see as if through Loengard’s own eyes.

John Loengard is a veteran LIFE photographer. He was also picture editor of LIFE magazine from 1973 to 1987, and with numerous books to his credit, including last year’s The Great Life Photographers, he is the chronicler of LIFE’s illustrious history. He lives in New York.

Ann Beattie, one of America’s most important writers of fiction, has numerous short story collections and novels to her credit. She lives in Maine and Key West, Florida.