Evocative scenes of '80s Britain are captured in this new book
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Striking images of a Britain fading into the past abound in a book bringing together a series of photographs by Paul Graham.
Originally self-published by Graham in 1983, A1 – The Great North Road is a portrait of the nation seen from the A1, from London to Edinburgh.
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Hide AdAs well as paving the way for a new generation of colour photographers upon its initial publication, the book documents the vast socio-political changes across the country under Margaret Thatcher, and offers a new way of thinking about our nation today: the political divides between North and South, our relationship to domestic travel, and the regional inequalities along one road.
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A1 – The Great North Road was Paul Graham’s first book. It had a startling impact on British photography, using the tradition of social documentary with a fresh approach to colour.
Cafe Assistants, Compass Cafe Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, November 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)
Graham travelled repeatedly along the Great North Road with a large-format camera, to record the people, buildings and landscape of early ’80s Britain.
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Hide AdThe award-winning photographer has previously had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate and Whitechapel galleries in London.
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Now rare, Graham’s 1980s trilogy of books is being republished by MACK this month. The publication will be accompanied by a show at Huxley Parlour in London in October.
The book, which comes in embossed linen hardcover, costs £40. Visit mackbooks.co.uk/products/a1-the-great-north-road-br-paul-graham for details.
Interior, John’s Cafe, Sandy, Bedfordshire, April 1981 (photo: Paul Graham)
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Hide AdLorry Driver, Beacon Services, South Mimms, Hertfordshire, May 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)
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Great North Road Garage, Edinburgh, November 1981 (photo: Paul Graham)
Tony, Tower Cafe, Caldecote, Bedfordshire, May 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)
Couple on Day Trip, Washington Services, Tyne and Wear, May 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)
Bus Converted to Cafe, Lay-By, West Yorkshire, November 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)
Ferrybridge Power Station, West Yorkshire, November 1982 (photo: Paul Graham)