Roger Bamber, for fifty years one of Britain’s leading photojournalists, has poured his life’s work into this unique reflection of a career that encompassed not only riots and bombings and the crazy world of rock and pop in the twentieth century but recorded with a sympathetic eye the demise of traditional British industries and the old steam railways. His graphic photographs are well known for their distinctive, often wryly humorous, style and strong visual impact and have been widely published worldwide. He was British Press Photographer of the Year, twice British News Photographer of the Year and won many awards for his features on the arts. Towards the end of his career he worked mainly for the Guardian and was happiest finding creative people with a story to tell. He preferred working outdoors, ideally within sight of the sea, and showcasing ordinary people – celebrating just how extraordinary all of us can be.

An exhibition of images from the book will be shown at the National Portrait Gallery in summer 2008. This stunningly illustrated volume offers a visual survey of 33 of the most original and provocative artists of our time. Here, we see them in their working environment - in moments of concentration, inspiration, and relaxation. McCAbe's photographs offer a revealing insight into the lives and work of the artists, while McNay skillfully extracts details about their craft, workplace, and personality - alongside his own candid observations on each subject.

Since the birth of photography, photographers have been taking images of the earth from the air with spectacular visual results. Celebrating over 150 years of these incredible images, this book tells the fascinating story of how these pictures were created and the photographers that have propelled image-taking to bold new heights.

Taking advantage of the amazing sense of perspective that aerial photography offers, this incredible collection of images also offers a unique overview of the events, challenges, and changes of the past 150 years of human history.