Café Royal Books is a fantastic way to start collecting photography books at an affordable price, and these Chris Killip books are a must!
Isle of man TT Races 1971(Image credit: Chris Killip)
Café Royal Books is an independent book publisher that publishes affordable photography books from some of the greatest photographers of all time, but in equal measure, provides a platform to some of the most underrated and unseen.
The small low-cost monograph books are now considered a staple in British photography culture and showcase some of the most important social documentary work ever made in the UK and Ireland. Among the best photographers to document life in the 20th century UK is undoubtedly Chris Killip and five of his Café Royal Books have been reissued due to high demand.
Askam-in-Furness 1982 (Image credit: Chris Killip)
Chris Killip is renowned for his incredible body of work including projects Seacoal, Skinningrove (recently published in a new book by Stanley / Barker), and Inflagrante which looked at life on the poverty line of the working class in post-war Britain. Killip's ability to embed himself in a community and document it from within led to capturing authentic moments of the human condition that live long in the memory.
The five books being reissued for second editions by Café Royal Books are Askam-in-Furness 1982, Huddersfield 1974, The Seaside 1975–1981, Shipbuilding on Tyneside 1975–1976, and Isle of Man TT Races 1971.
Among these books are some of Killip's most intimate photographs. His ability to capture portraits goes far beyond our typical understanding as he combines portraiture, documentary, and reportage photographs to capture a picture of place and time.
Huddersfield 1974 (Image credit: Chris Killip)
Huddersfield 1974 (Image credit: Chris Killip)
Askam-in-Furness 1982 (Image credit: Chris Killip)
Included in the reissues is his work on the Isle of Man TT Races in 1971, a rare publication that captures historic documentation of the races and the culture. Among the images are some of Killip's best portraits, and it is a masterclass in environmental portraiture and composition - an invaluable resource for photographers who capture people!
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The five books can be ordered now directly from the Café Royal Books website for the incredibly low price of $9 / £6.70 / AU $13 each or $40 / £30 / AU $60 for the bundle of five books. Additional shipping costs apply.
These books are incredible introductions to British documentary photography throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and there are some real hidden gems in the collection – and if for any reason you are previously unfamiliar with Killip's work, I urge you to take a look as he is not just one of my all-time favorites, but the nations!
Kalum Carter is a photographer, photo editor and writer based in the UK, and for almost a decade he has worked with brands and publications to create, edit, and sequence imagery. Having recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Photography from the University of the West of England (UWE), Kalum joined Digital Camera World as a Staff Writer, covering news, reviews, and his biggest passion – photography books!
Kalum's photography has been published and exhibited around the world, and he continues to photograph on a project-by-project basis. He is currently working on a personal project capturing the people and landscape of Gower, South Wales. Currently untitled, this body of work will be exhibited for the National Trust later this year.
