Pope John Paul II was one of the most significant world figures in the 20th century and one of the most famous popes in the history of the Catholic church. His unprecedented willingness to travel the world and his media savvy allowed him to reach over 1 billion Catholic parishioners in over 100 countries during his long tenure as pope. He drew huge crowds of devoted followers wherever he went, and no doubt many of them will seek to remember him long after his reign has ended.

The Poynter Institute has put together a full-color collection of front page newspaper stories from the day of Pope John Paul II's death in order to chronicle the historic event. The book includes approximately 150 reproductions of front pages from newspapers in all 50 U.S. states as well as major newspapers from around the world. The covers are presented without commentary, in order to allow the reader to appreciate the event in his or her own way.