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Can You Help Publish A Wonderful Book Of Bob Mazzer’s Underground Pictures?

April 6, 2014
by the gentle author

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Out of the blue, one of the readers sent me some photographs last summer taken by their friend Bob Mazzer on the London Underground in the eighties. I was immediately captivated by Bob’s irresistibly joyous pictures but I had no idea of the sensation they would create, drawing so many hundreds of thousands of readers from around the world. Within weeks, they were being published in national newspapers and the emergence of this previously-unknown photographer with these breathtaking images became a widespread news story.

Prior to this, Bob had spent decades trying to gain recognition for his work and being rejected by publishers and galleries. Yet the publication of his photographs on Spitalfields Life drew universal acclaim immediately – both for their excellence as photography, and for the humour and poetry of Bob’s vision of humanity.

Encouraged by the success of Phil Maxwell’s Brick Lane published last week, I am asking you to help me produce a beautiful two hundred page hardback book of Bob’s Underground pictures and enable Bob’s debut London exhibition at Howard Griffin Gallery in Shoreditch. The plan is to publish the book and open the show on June 12th with a great party.

I am inviting any of my readers who are willing to invest the sum of no more and no less than one thousand pounds each to cover production costs. We will ask you to bring your cheque along to a celebratory dinner for Bob later this month and we will put your name in the book. In June, prior to publication, I will present you with a copy inscribed by Bob and, six months later, we will commence repayment of your investment – unless you choose to offer it as a donation towards the publication of further titles by Spitalfields Life Books.

Additionally, you can show your support by placing an order for the book now by clicking here and we will send you a copy upon publication.

Following Colin O’Brien’s Travellers’ Children in London FieldsThe Gentle Author’s London Album and Phil Maxwell’s Brick Lane, Bob Mazzer’s Underground is the fourth title from Spitalfields Life Books – and Faber Factory Plus (part of Faber & Faber) will distribute it to bookshops nationwide.

If you are willing to be an investor and help me publish Bob Mazzer’s Underground, please drop me a line at Spitalfieldslife@gmail.com and I will be delighted to send you further details.

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Photographs © copyright Bob Mazzer

Click here to pre-order Bob Mazzer’s UNDERGROUND

You may also like to take a look at

Bob Mazzer on the Tube

More Bob Mazzer on the Tube

Bob Mazzer on the Tube Today

Bob Mazzer, Photographer

Bob Mazzer’s Street Photography

Bob Mazzer’s Porn Pilgrimage

5 Responses leave one →
  1. April 6, 2014

    These wonderful views show moments of desperation and hope — just as everybody experienced it already…!

    Hope, that means for instance: the little Boy on the moving staircase. Hope also means: to get these images published in a book!

    Love & Peace
    ACHIM

  2. April 6, 2014

    They are very very good. Sad to say difficult to replicate these days, just look at the furor around
    the ‘women eating on the tube’ facebook page.

  3. April 7, 2014

    Really glad these photos are getting the attention they deserve. Bob Mazzer did an amazing job capturing the recent past that in many ways have the feeling of a bygone age. Wish I could invest, but will be asking for copy as a birthday present.

  4. April 17, 2014

    Truly amazing photographs!

  5. Marco permalink
    May 25, 2014

    The tube as I remember it. What wonderfully evocative photos they are.

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