The North Hardcover – 14 Nov. 2012

Copies of "The North" seem hard to come by, so it is wonderful that the book is back in print with this 2020 edition. John Bulmer's superb photographs capture a bygone age of life and characters from the north of England in the early 1960s, supplemented with colour work from the mid 1970s when he made further visits. There is a strong body of black and white work covered in the book, and it is easy to get lost in the atmosphere of those times by looking through these terrific images. People on their way to work, people at home, people in the pub, rain-wet pavements, cobbled streets and terraced houses, are all lovingly captured with a real sense of respect and empathy.The images from the 1970s show a landscape under regeneration, with hollowed out streets, isolated houses and pubs, and the occasional passer-by captured in what can look like a desolate landscape that belong to a time somehow belonging to a period earlier than the 1970s. A couple of John Bulmer's images feature on the cover of Dominic Sandbrook's books on the 1970s, but seeing them captured here in all their glory is the real place to see them.An important archive of how this part of Britain looked almost 60 years ago. Recommended - along with purchasing a copy from the publisher via Amazon marketplace - prompt dispatch.

One of my favourite photographic books of all time from one of my very favourite photographers..The quality of John's images is astounding. I have only stumbled on his work in very recent years (thanks to BBC4!) and this book shows off his consistent body of work in the North really well. John is a much-neglected giant of photography.If you want to see how much the North has changed in the last 50 years or so, buy this book.Additionally, the book has been produced to very high production standards, as you'd hope, and is excellent value.

Although I was born in Oldham in 1950 my parents headed South when I was a small child...but all my relatives remained in the North.so I can say without doubt that this book remains a superb candid, photo journalistic collection from its period. It is very evocative and the quality and frankness of the photography is excellent. It is so authentic in the atmosphere and way of life it captures that while you study it ...you can almost smell the smoke and sulphur in the air. “Street photography” has become a very popular genre and this book should appeal to many interested in that too.

John Bulmer, was one of the first British photographers to use color in his body of work, just like Martin Parr. The difference between the two is that although both take street photography, John Bulmer's photos look like poetry, and Martin Parr's junk food.This book has some of the best photos I have ever seen. Hauntingly beautiful compositions, despite capturing a very difficult time for the people in the North of England. (The only thing takes bothers me a little, and I don't know if I am right, is that 3 to 4 photos look like they have people added via Photoshop, to make a better composition. Something is not quite organic with these photos).Anyway, I won't write more about this book, because I will not make you waste your time, when you could be ordering the book right now.

A collection of bodies of work in black and white as well as his colour work, presented in a great thematic photo book.Enjoyable reading/viewing for any serious photographer.

After having discovered some of John's photography online, I waited eagerly for the release of this book. It didn't disappoint. I've taken to describing him as my favourite photographer, without exception. Whenever I need a arty gift for friends and family, I reach for another copy of this seminal book.I grew up in the North at the tail end of John's career, and I find his photos incredibly evocative of our lives back then - or at least how we have come to remember them. To those "grim up North" clichés - you've missed the point. All around us once proud cities were having their hearts ripped out - but look at the people's faces - full of joy and humour despite the architectural desolation. Beauty and humour can dwell in the most adverse conditions.Thankyou John, I hope you find the credit you deserve.

Maybe this should be renamed It's Grim Up North because these gritty, grainy photos were commissioned to show a North that was unknown to most people living in the South at the time. Factories, cobbled streets, working men's clubs are all beautifully photographed sometimes in street photography style, sometimes more formally composed. The black and White photos are pure traditional photo journalism but the colour photos were were a new thing at the time, give a new perspective to a subject that could have easily become a cliche.This collection of photos should be considered essential viewing for anyone who wants to escape a world of heavily filtered, poorly composed Instagrams on the Internet - these aren't " an effect" avaiable for selection, these are the real deal.

To my great shame, the name of John Bulmer was new to me when this book came up on Amazon as a 'customers also bought' when I was searching for something else. From a dock town near Grimsby, and growing up in the 1960s, the subject matter intrigued me. The book consists of eight photo essays made for magazines - mainly the Sunday Times - between 1960 and 1976. The photography both individually and collectively is out of the very top drawer, comparable to the very best documentary photography. The fact that the earliest work is monochrome and then we see the transition to colour makes this very special indeed. A marvellous book.