After living and working abroad for many years in places like Paris and South Africa—where he famously documented the horrors of apartheid—Ian Berry returned to his homeland feeling like an outsider who knew very little about his own country. In 1974, Berry was awarded the first-ever Arts Council Photography Bursary. This crucial funding allowed him to spend 1975 traveling the length and breadth of England to document and rediscover the English way of life. Published by Penguin Books and Alan Lane in 1978, the book contains 100 black-and-white photographs that capture the diverse daily lives of ordinary people. Berry photographed the English across all social classes, contrasting urban and rural life. Content ranges from the elite attending the Royal Ascot Races and Derby Day at Epsom, to everyday scenes inside a doctor’s waiting room in Battersea or the legendary Harrods department store. As a prominent figure in humanistic photography, Berry chose to focus on raw, candid visual situations rather than staged portraits. He noted that England was one of the easiest countries to photograph because people rarely reacted to the presence of a photographer. The English is frequently compared to Robert Frank’s influential 1958 masterpiece, The Americans. However, while Frank's look at American society was often seen as biting and harsh, Berry’s exploration of England is noted for being gentler, warmer, and driven by a quiet curiosity about his roots. In his foreword, Berry famously emphasizes that the book does not claim to be a definitive or comprehensive study, but rather a "personal and partial view" of a specific, rapidly changing era. Today, it stands as an invaluable time capsule of 1970s British culture. First edition, first printing. Brilliant, underrated photobook by the Magnum photographer. 225 x 247 mm. 109 pages. 100 photos in black and white. Cover design by Gerald Cinamon. Text in english. Copy in very good condition. Wear to front and back covers, inside crisp and bright plates/pages.