The rise of National Geographic to cultural prominence is the subject of Stephanie L. Hawkins’ American Iconographic: National Geographic, Global Culture and the Visual Imagination (University of Virginia Press). Hawkins, assistant professor of English, traces the magazine from its first publication of nude photographs in 1896 to its influence on popular novels and films in the 1950s. She focuses on how the magazine both reflected public attitudes and influenced them, encouraging readers to identify with the values of other nations.