For this exclusive collection of postcards, David Bailey, one of the worlds most distinguished and distinctive photographers, has chosen a selection of images from his archive some familiar, others previously unseen. This box of 36 portraits, reminiscent of Baileys acclaimed Box of Pin — Ups (1965), demonstrates the extraordinary range of people that he has captured during his long career; many of them famous, some anonymous, all of them unforgettable.

David Bailey flew to Afghanistan earlier this year to take photographs for auction to raise money for Help for Heroes, a charity that aims to help wounded servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan. The result is his latest book of photographs, a fitting celebration of Britains fighting heroes, showing life inside both inside Camp Bastion and also outside the perimeter, where real danger is ever-present. Dylan Jones, editor of GQ, who accompanied Bailey on the trip, provides a well informed and engaging foreword on life in the camp. All sales of this book will benefit Help for Heroes.

David Bailey revolutionized fashion and portrait photography in the 1960's with his spare, graphic aesthetic and irreverent approach to models and editors alike. Best known for his iconic portraits of artists, musicians and actors of the 1960's and 1970's, including Andy Warhol, the Rolling Stones and Catherine Deneuve, Bailey has gone on to publish work ranging from gritty London streetscapes to intimate photographs of his wife and family. This monograph, the first to cover Bailey's entire career, delves into the photographer's archive to present his most famous portraiture alongside less familiar and previously unpublished work.

«What do flowers, skulls and contact sheets have in common? Not much you might think, but David Bailey begs to differ. This book combines Bailey's recent colour photographs of still-life flowers and skulls, with black and white contacts of his iconic celebrity portraiture and fashion work from the 1960s. One might analyze Bailey's combination of these bodies of work in light of the vanitas tradition, seeing it as a commentary on mortality and the passing of time. Indeed such a reading is tempting when comparing images of wilting roses with contacts of Brian Jones and John Lennon, both of whom appear confident in the prime of youth, unaware of the fates that will befall them. But perhaps this is too much, and Bailey himself would probably tell you so. For him, the flowers, skulls and contacts are simply different projects that he was working on simultaneously and decided to combine because he likes the idea of «eclectic collections». Enough said.»

Mark is good natured. He finds the best in most things. To explain more would be too much. These are just pictures that Mark can do. David Bailey may be a master of the medium, but he also readily accepts that photography is technologically driven. The snapshot is a part of our visual culture and many photographs have been taken millions and millions of times, with just slight variations, such as the identity of the people in a family portrait. Bailey also takes such snaps, images that are imbued with a sense of ease and freedom and yet, which, in his hands usually carry much greater weight and significance. In compiling this work, he considered that the photographs appear so easy that even Mark, his assistant, could make them and the quip became the title of this, his latest book.

In this collection of classic work from the 1980s, Bailey abstains from any comment or explanation but shows the reader the world of a mature photographer whose vision has been sharpened by time.