Humans have always been fascinated
with looking at themselves. They pass down myths about
the dangers of trying to kiss
one’s own reflection. They use self- recognition to test interspecies
intelligence. And 17,300 years
after the first Paleolithic painter immortalized a fellow hunter on a
cave wall in Lascaux, France,
patrons still flock to art galleries to purchase new portrayals of
themselves and their society.
With the dawn of space
exploration, humanity encountered a new perspective. From
space, the planet appeared smaller
and the greatest of humanity’s creations, larger. Hundreds of
miles above Earth’s surface, petty
issues of individuality disappear to reveal the complex
grandeur of civilization.
Containing 287 astronaut photographs and composite images, L.
Douglas Keeney’s newest book, Lights
of Mankind: The Earth at Night as Seen from Space,
turns this macro view into
something beautiful and informative.
For Keeney, cofounder of the
Military Channel (owned by Discovery Communications)
and author of ten books on
military history, Lights of Mankind represents a departure from his
usual arena. He brings to this
collection not only a sense of wonder at what humans ha ve created
but also a historian’s
understanding of why and how.
With each series of photographs,
Keeney highlights important chapters of the human
story, from the role of
agriculture along the Nile that became the cobra- like line of lights seen
today from space to the levees
shaping New Orleans. Due to the brevity of his observations and
the large format of the night-sky
photographs, viewers can appreciate what they see without
being overwhelmed. Along with his
own notes, Keeney also includes a series of first-hand
accounts from the astronauts
themselves. These essays offer a look at the technology used to
make photography possible from the
International Space Station, as well as a the sense of
wonder one feels 220 miles above
home.
Douglas Keeney is an historian, researcher,
speaker and author of more than a dozen books on American history.