A small selection of Photobooks from those damp little islands

There is this group of islands off the coast of northern Europe – roughly divided into England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – where sometimes it is extremely beautiful and sometimes it is merely compelling in it’s bland ordinariness. At other times these islands are bleak and gritty and yet still other times they are mysterious and ancient. Here is a small sample of photobooks from those damp little islands:

Here comes everybody, Chris Killip’s Irish photographs  – Chris Killip
TR820.5.I73 .K55 2009
Chris Killip’s images of Ireland from 1993 to 2005 which document the annual pilgrimages at Croagh Patrick and Maamean in the west of Ireland, as well as other places of ancient spirituality.

London/Wales – Robert Frank
TR140.F73 .B76 2003
Robert Franks trip to London in the early 1950’s took him on a tangential journey to the west to visit with the working class miners of Wales.

England My England – Chris Steele-Perkins
Released 2010 978-1904794387
A 40 year accumulation of images on the theme of England from the canonical magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins.

In Flagrante – Chris Killip
[Books on Books 4 – TR145 . K55 2008]
The original of this book is rather expensive and hard to come by – thank god for Eratta Editions. This is the landscape and the people of Thatcher’s ugly and vile era.

Josef Koudelka: Reconnaissance Wales
R TR647.K68 1998
Koudelka’s panoramic work depicting the dark, lyrical, and compelling Welsh landscape. Filled with beautiful imagery. I wish the cover was more interesting. . .

Isle of Man: A Book About the Manx – Christopher Killip
TR680.K55 1980
Isle of Man native Chris Killip explores the places and peoples of this harsh and ancient homeland.

Bruce Davidson: England/Scotland 1960 – Bruce Davidson
3865211275 Steidl 2006
Bruce Davidson spent two month in 1960 recording the peoples and places of England and Scotland. This is the book of that experience which was finally released in 2006.

British Photography from the Thatcher years – Susan Kismaric
TR820.5.G7 .K57 1990
Catalogue from an exhibition that opened at MOMA, New York, on Valentine’s Day 1990 displaying documentary images of Britain under the regime of the ‘milk snatcher’.

The English at Home – Bill Brandt
R TR659.5.G7 .B72 1936
Classic depiction of the sublime and quiet horrors of the English class system.

The Battle of Waterloo Road – Robert Capa
TR820.6 C37 1941
An extensive photographic essay of London during the blitz described by the celebrity photojournalist and champagne socialist Robert Capa.

Megaliths – Paul Caponigro
TR660.C36 1986
Ancient structures from 5000 years ago are to be found all over these mysterious islands (and they even extend over the English channel to those folks in Brittany).

The Donegal Pictures – Rachel Giese [with poems by Ciaran Carson]
TR820.5.G54 1987
A book of images of the everyday lives of villagers from an Ireland of long ago. These photographs are bathed in a sensual light.

Dublin, A portrait – Evelyn Hofer
TR790.I73 H64 1967
This is remarkable documentary work of a Dublin past. I especially love the beautiful image of the four sporting fellah’s from Phoenix Park on a Sunday.

Tair a’ mhurain: Outer Hebrides – Paul Strand
TR820.5 S76 1962
Paul strand’s glorious images of the island of South Uist where he spent three months in 1954.

A1: The Great North Road – Paul Graham
R TR820.5.G7 .G73 1983
Paul Graham describes in colour the A1 Road which links London to Edinburgh and illuminates all the places in between.

The British Landscape – John Davies
095468947X
John Davies surveys the landscape of Britain with great solemnity and brings the ordinary to life in a large and dramatic way.

Hackney Wick – Stephen Gil
TR820.5.G7 .G55 2005
Equipped with a 50p camera Stephen Gil diligently documents and describes a vast east London flea market which closed in 2003.

LDN – Antony Cairns
ISBN 9780954709181
Dark abstract images of a contemporary subterranean London printed on tracing paper. http://www.antony-cairns.co.uk/

Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight: The John Hinde Butlin’s Photographs – John Hinde.
TR820.5.G7 .H56 2003
Images filled with ‘fun’ from the leisure industry ‘holiday camps’ of mainstream Britain recorded in their heyday during the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The Cost of Living – Martin Parr
TR820.5.G7 .P37 1989
This is a colourful look at the intricacies and complexities of British social life from the legendary documenter of the intricacies and complexities of British social life Martin Parr.