National Geographic June 1985 Afghan Refugee Vol. 167, NO. 6 (NM Condition)

est known for Steve McCurry’s iconic photograph of an Afghan teenager displayed on the cover, the June 1985 issue of National Geographic can be a collector’s item. The front cover of any magazine is powerful, and this one can be no exception. There are several other interesting feature stories in this issue including the U.S.-Mexico border, the war on the Afghan frontier, the Great Salt Lake, and the Cayman Islands. Steve McCurry, a well known photographer, took the picture that was to be on the cover while he was in Pakistan to take photographs of the plight of the people at a refugee camp. Surprisingly, National Geographic’s picture editor didn’t want to put the picture on the cover, as it was too disturbing. Disturbing, one must suppose, because this girl’s eyes in the photos are an intense green and many have commented they are “haunting and haunted.” Finally, the editor relented and published the image on the front page of National Geographic in June 1985. The intense green eyes