"W. Eugene Smith is the master of the photographic essay; he created essays which include some of the most dramatic and affecting single images of the twentieth century. Fiercely energetic, he made countless photographs memorable for their formal brilliance and for their compassion. This volume of Aperture's Masters of Photography series presents more than seventy of Smith's greatest photographs, selected from work created over the course of forty-five years.".

"In his introductory essay, Jim Hughes, Smith's biographer, provides an overview of Smith's life and insight into his work."--BOOK JACKET.