Signed X2 Martin Parr (Magnum) - Life's a Beach - 2012

Like new, an exemplary copy signed twice by Martin Parr (1952-2025) of the original French edition of Life's a Beach, today unique and unavailable elsewhere on the internet. The book was published in a limited edition of 1,000 copies under the artistic direction of the French publisher Xavier Barral and Martin Parr (copy no. 193). This French edition is therefore the true original edition, even though Aperture also financed the production of the book with 1,000 copies for an American edition.

Luxurious edition bound in the Japanese style with a cloth cover, housed in a box set, with glued-on titling on the cover on a faux post-it; unpaginated and featuring 96 color photographs that have been manually interleaved within the pages of the book using small links that hold the corners of the photographs, similar to traditional family photo albums. These photographs are all labeled with handwritten captions reproduced as facsimiles next to or below the photographs themselves, but the book contains no other text. This French edition will suit any buyer, regardless of their language or country. The facing pages are separated by a sheet of translucent paper (but not transparent, like felt). The book is protected by a sliding case, which itself is safeguarded by an outer box that ensures its transport and preservation are perfectly secured.

Do not confuse this with the paperback edition also published by Xavier Barral in 2013.

In the United Kingdom, you are never more than 120 kilometers from the coast. With such an extensive shoreline, it's no surprise that seaside photography is a well-established British tradition... For Martin Parr, in the UK, it's the beach that reigns! Here, he affirms, you can relax, be yourself, and let this little British eccentricity run free. Parr has been photographing this subject for decades, documenting all aspects of this tradition. His international career actually began with the publication of 'The Last Resort,' a 1986 book dedicated to the seaside resort of New Brighton, near Liverpool. What is perhaps less known is that this passion has led Parr to photograph beaches around the world. This collection, his first on the subject, features photos of bathers on distant shores, including in Argentina, Brazil, China, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Thailand, and, of course, the UK. This collection showcases the best shots from his exploration of beach culture, surprising us with moments of captured absurdity and immersing us in the rituals and traditions associated with seaside life worldwide.

This 'beach culture' also prevails even where the sea or ocean is absent, as Martin Parr photographs in Japan an 'ocean dome,' which is a nautical complex under a massive hangar with artificial trompe l'œil decoration consisting of a sandy beach and a shoreline topped with a sky with a few small clouds. Above the sky, you can see the hangar's metal sheets, but if you're not paying attention, the image can be misleading.

Copy in excellent condition, practically like new. A book from my personal collection, kept with the utmost care. Shipping is protected with reinforced packaging and guaranteed international postal tracking. In case of multiple purchases, group shipping is possible with a refund of any excess postal fees paid via Paypal.

1.9 kg excluding packaging