Title: Reuters: The State of the World

Author: Reuters

ISBN: 0500543208

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Edition: Paperback

Review: In The State of the World, Reuters has utilised its position as the world’s largest international text and television news agency to create a compelling photographic account of the world in the 21st Century. Comprising more than 500 emotive images, The State of the World is divided into nine sections, with each section being preceded by a short, insightful essay from a Reuters journalist.

The photos included are not always easy viewing, ranging from the vivid imagery procured from Hurricane Katrina in ‘Big Issues’ through to gun-and-blood laden footage from the Gaza Strip in ‘War and Conflict’. While the emotive and graphic content mean that ‘State of the World’ is not the typical ‘coffee-table’ hardback, it does serve as a fitting reminder of just how tumultuous the start of the new millennium has been.