[8][20] The supplement featured original, nonpartisan accounts of that week from 100 years ago, published in the style of a period newspaper.
[21][18][8] The project involved writing original articles after researching contemporary newspapers and modern, historical sources, as well as consulting with an historian.
[22] Letters praising the series were sent by Bruce Catton, Otto Eisenschiml, Harry Golden, Major General Ulysses S. Grant III, Carl Sandburg, and Bell I.
"[23] They also noted, "The writers are better-equipped than the average re-write man to give proper weight to the significant and discard immaterial.
"[23] In 1961, the trade journal Southern Printer and Lithographer featured an article about Edwards and Shavin, stating, "Their product is unusual in that it is truly national in scope and content.
[25] Originally planned as a year-long series, "The Atlanta Century" was so popular that the paper expanded its run for the full five years of the Civil War era and reissued past editions as a premium for new subscribers.
[1][29] Some of his earliest articles with bylines were history and Southern-related, such as "The Virginians" in November 1974 and "Thomas Jefferson: Architect of Freedom" in February 1976.
[34] Edwards often traveled to war-torn areas, resulting in articles such as "Honduras: Eye of the Storm" in November 1983, "Nicaragua: Nation in Conflict" in December 1985, "El Salvador Learns to Live in Peace" in 1995, "Central Africa's Cycle of Violence" in 1997, and "Eyewitness Iraq" in 1999.
[41][42][43][44][6] He had fifteen assignments in the former Soviet Union, including "Chernobyl—One Year After" in May 1987, "The Gulag Remembered" in March 1990, "Ukraine" in May 1987, "The Fractured Caucasus" in February 1996, "Searching for the Scythians" in September 1996, and "A Comeback for the Cossacks" in November 1998.
[63] He traveled more than 6,000 miles, retracing Polo's path from Venice along the Silk Road through Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, China and back again.
[4][63][5][6] When their long journey was over, the result was unprecedented 82 pages article in National Geographic that spanned May, June, and July 2001 issues.
[64][65][66] However, retracing Marco Polo's steps almost became impossible when the ruling Taliban militia denied the team entry to Afghanistan.
[67] They called upon Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud who served them tea and "gave them a safe-conduct pass for their two-week stay in his territory," along with the offer of food, housing, and an armed escort.
[2] His cover stories for the magazine include "Broken Empire: Ukraine Running on Empty" in March 1993, "Genghis Khan: Lord of the Mongols" in December 1996, "Indus: Clues to an Ancient Civilization" in June 2000, "The Adventures of Marco Polo, Part I: Venice to China" in May 2002, and "Masters of Gold" in June 2003 [68][69][70][71][64] In his retirement, Edwards was a freelance writer for National Geographic, taking his total article count for them to 54.
[74] The selections were usually topical to current events, and also related to articles Edwards had or would write for National Geographic, such as Afghan tribesmen in 1979, Kabul in December 1980, life in a Chinese commune in 1980, Mount St. Helens in 1989, Ukraine in 1989, Yalta in 1989, and Soviet prison reform in 1990.
[1][8] The commission selected "The Atlanta Century" for the first recipient of this medal "because of its objectivity, its appealing style, and its tremendous achievement in promoting both at home and abroad, a better understanding of the great American conflict..."[8] In 1988, the Foreign Correspondents Association gave Edwards a citation (first runner-up) for best magazine reporting from abroad for "Chernobyl: One Year After, " written for National Geographic.
[1][84] He lived in Washington, D.C.[85] Edwards died of cancer at the age of 84 in the Capital Caring Hospice in Arlington, Virginia on January 24, 2016.