It has been a remarkable year looking back at so many fond memories from the past 50 years of 20/20’s existence. Many of us at 20/20 and our Jobson Optical Group have cultivated our careers here, and our combined experience has been invaluable in creating the content for our anniversary year. But bringing it all to life would not have been possible without our archives of past print issues, lovingly known internally as our “bound volumes.” I say “lovingly” with a somewhat sarcastic yet lighthearted tone because these large, heavy books consisting of every print issue of 20/20 since our inception have sat on the shelves of our office for many years, often overlooked and disregarded. Some of our colleagues believed they sat there collecting dust and remained virtually untouched, except for sometimes being used as a prop for windows or other items by a few careless individuals who shall rename nameless. The books were not the most attractive looking, but… never judge a book by its cover. What many did not know was that inside these ancient looking library relics was a treasure trove of beautiful photography and optical industry history, all of which were incredibly critical to our anniversary year, especially since more than half of these issues were published before digital media even existed. The 20/20 team bears direct witness to this rich content, as we have spent countless days leafing through the pages and lugging them to the printer to scan, incorporating them into our anniversary coverage this year.

Prior to our golden anniversary, the one person who referred to these books on a daily basis was former Editor-in-Chief James Spina. James often used them to create content for Parting Glance, a page in 20/20 that for many years served as the final edit page in each issue, dedicated to a photo(s) deemed worthwhile to close the magazine with. As we wrap up this special 50th anniversary issue, for old time’s sake, we brought back this fan favorite page to salute our beloved library of bound volumes.

–Christine Yeh