Chris Killip: In Flagrante Two Hardcover – May 24, 2016

The only previous publication of In Flagrante was in 1988, and until a 2016 show at Yossi Milo in New York, the photographs themselves were never seen in the United States. The book acquired a curious reputation over the years, that it was something to do with Margaret Thatcher, that it was old school documentary, that its author didn't want it republished. The appearance of In Flagrante Two clears up all of the rumors decisively.The photographs were made in the the northeast of England between 1973 and 1985, during which time Margaret Thatcher was one of four leaders of the British Government. Killip makes this point in a terse epilogue, but apart from a thumbnailed list of titles on the final page, In Flagrante contains no other text. It speaks entirely through its images.In Flagrante has the documentary look of Paul Strand's T'ir A'Mhurain, but it is as though Killip is in among the pictures themselves rather than at a discreet, large-format distance. He is a humanist to Strand's communist, his is a world of individuals, not of ideals. Strand photographed a world before the Fall, Killip after it. In the forward to his 2009 collection, Arbeit, Killip quoted his Boston friend, John Clifford: “ I don’t know nothing about no f…ing history, I’m just telling you what happened”. That's the way In Flagrente speaks. We don't need to be told about de-industrialization, and urban decay, and government austerity, and all the rest; it's all there in the pictures.The book itself is a splendid object. The pages are thick and large, nothing runs across the gutter, and the images are all printed on the recto side, with verticals requiring a half-turn for viewing. I'm sure Chris Killip is mighty pleased with In Flagrante Two.

This book blew me away. I am a photographer and a collector of photo books with a very specialized collection of some of the most important photobooks from the last 50 years from US, E.Europe, and England. This book has a powerful message as Chris Killip makes insightful images using a large format B&W camera. I especially am drawn to the way his images focus on environmental portraiture so that the architecture and landscape inform the individuals and their experience and position in history, rather than traditional portraits that focus exclusively on the psychology/emotion of the sitter. This new edition from Steidl has the highest quality image reproduction and the book itself is a wonderful 11.5 x 14.5 inches so you can really get into the images. Top shelf, though not for the faint at heart as these images are by no means rosey, but give voice to people on the margins in 1980's England.

Killip's esthetics and expression of his empathy for class of small farmers (Isle of Man) and blue-collar workers and youths in the north of England are deeply touching, all the more that his style and esthetics stand in total accord with his subjects. Another must-have.

I am one of Chris’s former students and long time fan. I was very happy to see this reissue and the accompanying show in NYC. Many of his most intimate and famous images that illustrate social change in the UK are here and the production quality is excellent. Chris is less well known here in the US. Let this book serve as an introduction to his work for those who have not yet experienced it.

Great book and arrived with very little damages. This one they put some air cushions.

I was happy to see that In Flagrante, one of the greatest photo books ever made, was back in print and published by none other than Steidl. The book doesn't disappoint: Killip's work is hauntingly beautiful and evocative, and the printing is gorgeous, capturing the dark and light tones of the photos in a very nuanced way. As with Steidl's other books, the binding, materials and even the smell of the book are all pleasant.

If there is only one book that you should buy this year, this is the one. Beautiful pictures, large format book, printed by Steidl. Perfect. If you liked Cartier-Breson, you will love Chris Killip. It is just stronger and better than the old master.

Don't get me wrong, these are all excellent pictures, with fantastic print quality. But I have an issue with how they hang together as a series. Hailing from northeast England myself, what strikes me is that not all these pictures are from northeast England, which is how they are always described. Skinningrove is in North Yorkshire. The glue sniffers are in Cumbria. And the abbey, which I had initially assumed was Jarrow (the inclusion of which would have made more thematic sense) is actually Sussex or something.A couple of the pictures which are Northeast England could perhaps be accused of misrepresentation of the area. The two at Whitley Bay beach, for example, give the impression of a very working class area, when in reality Whitley Bay has always been a fairly affluent suburb. Indeed this was probably more true at the time the pictures were taken than it is today.So the accusation could possibly be levelled at Killip that he has slightly cast his net too wide with these pictures. Thematically they perhaps work better as purveyors of a general aesthetic than as documentary realism. Though it is true that it might be me at fault here, and that this was always his intention.However I'm sure that if Killip had wished, he could have found images just as powerful by restricting himself to a more limited geographical range. As it is, I get the impression this has a bit of a 'greatest hits' feel to it, rather than being a unified body of work.

This is a great book printed lovely

I have the first edition of this, and I hate to admit it, but I think I like this reprint better. Not printing across the gutter and the simplified layout provides less to distract my attention from the images themselves. Killip's images, of course, are masterful.

Beautiful book, captures the essence of the areas and the era.

Un libro cuidadosamente editado, con un tamaño contundente que permite ver las imágenes cómodamente.Un trabajo documental de la desindustrializacion del Norte de Inglaterra durante el período de Margaret Thatcher de manos de un fotógrafo crudo.