Background information
'A1. The Great North Road' was Paul GRAHAM's photo book debut, published in 1983. Despite the UK having a vibrant photographic scene at the time, there were only handful of monographic books - Chris KILLIP and Martin PARR had one each - and no dedicated publishers or distributors. Paul GRAHAM had to self-publish 'A1 - The Great North Road', but as the first colour book, it had a startling impact on British photography. Uniting the tradition of social documentary with the fresh approach of new colour, 'A1. The Great North Road' was transformative on photography in the UK and paved the way for a new generation of British colour photographers to emerge, from Nick WAPLINGTON to Anna FOX, Richard BILLINGHAM to Tom WOOD. Paul GRAHAM went on to complete 'Beyond Caring' (1985, reedit 2021)) and 'Troubled Land' (1986, reedit 2022), both of which became iconic bodies of work. Originally self-published and now rare, the 1980's trilogy has been republished now completely (2020-2022).
Content
Spanning the full length of England and into Edinburgh, Paul GRAHAM travelled repeatedly along the 'Great North Road' with a large format camera, to record the people, buildings, and landscape of early 1980's Britain. Now 40 years old, this photo book is as much art as it is a historical document of the years of Margaret Thatcher’s government and the UK’s declining industrial base.
Additional informaion about SIGNED EDITION (P)
Publisher's re-release of 'A1' is signed by Paul GRAHAM to an extra image plate, glued into the inside back cover. The book itself isn't signed!