Books

The latest and best books from the world of photography

The Crown in Focus

By Claudia Acott Williams, foreword by David Cannadine, hardback, Merell, 224 pages, £29.95, ISBN 9781858946863

Presenting more than 200 royal photographs stretching back to the mid 19th century, The Crown in Focus starts with the birth of photography, exploring how the new medium helped to shape the image of the Victorians and beyond. Prince Albert was one of the

rst of the European royals to truly understand photography’s power as both an art and science, and how it could be used to secure the survival and popularity of the monarchy. Moving through the next 150 years or so, there’s imagery here from the likes of Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Nadav Kander, Lord Lich eld and other leading names. Even if you have limited interest in the exploits of the royal family, it’s a fascinating look back through the portraiture archives of some of the world’s best photographers.

Derelict Britain: Beauty in Decay

By Simon Sugden, foreword by Chris Gaffney, paperback, Amberley Publishing, 128 pages, £17.99, ISBN 9781398104082

In this collection of ethereally fantastic images, Sugden has captured the beauty in buildings in their second life of decay and dereliction. He explores buildings which have become abandoned and no longer used for their original purpose. The buildings range from Yorkshire mills, farmhouses and fairgrounds to religious buildings, asylums and factories. Some of the buildings are returning to nature, while others are little touched by the changes. All of them however display a new kind of beauty that comes from the mystery the locations present. If you want to see another side to the UK, and nd inspiration in what might seem the most unlikely of places, it’s a book worth getting hold of.