A comprehensive mid-career retrospective of the work of well-known Magnum photographer Martin Parr, including previously unpublished early work. This major retrospective is the first time that the whole of Parr's career has been seriously assessed and includes fascinating and previously unpublished early work. This includes his startling and original 1974 installation Home Sweet Home, early black-and-white photographs of the people and places of Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire where he lived and worked in the 1970s, photographs from Ireland and Salford, and of course a selection of the very best images from all of his published books including The Last Resort, The Cost of Living and Signs of the Times. With unlimited access to Parr's archives and quoting from extensive interviews, distinguished writer and curator Val Williams charts Parr's life and career, revealing insights into his influences and attitudes and setting him in a new context by assessing his importance as an artist. The book also includes fascinating illustrative photographs of Parr and the people and places of his career. In addition, a special appendix shows some of his many collections of ephemera from wallpaper to commemorative plates, lapel badges to souvenir models of Lenin and JFK.