The copy presented here is the true first edition published in 2012, a remarkably scarce publication produced by Create London to accompany the exhibition David Bailey's East End. Issued exclusively for the exhibition, it was never widely distributed and is today one of the most elusive David Bailey photobooks.
It should not be confused with the later Steidl edition published as a three-volume slipcased set. Although both are based on the same body of work, this 2012 edition is the original publication, conceived specifically for the exhibition and with its own distinct editorial identity.
Through these photographs, Bailey returns to the East End of London, the neighbourhood where he was born and raised. Streets, markets, pubs, portraits and everyday scenes come together to create an extraordinary visual record of a community shaped by decades of social and urban transformation, seen through the eyes of one of Britain's most celebrated photographers.
An exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire the original edition of a landmark project that has become increasingly difficult to find.
