A Night in London by Bill Brandt
Year published: 1938
Publisher: Country Life
A Holy Grail of London photography books. It’s a fascinating look at the city, not just because it documents it in the years before it was bombed in World War II, but because the photos cut across class divides.
The book takes you on a journey from the evening to the early morning. There are wealthy families being waited on by staff, packed streets, bright lights, pubs, a boxing ring, nightclubs, and bedrooms of all types (including stone steps).
The sequencing is impeccable and it’s amazing to see what was achieved when night photography had only just become possible.
Physical copies of the book are rare and regularly change hands for over £1,000 but you can see a scan of it here and some photos from it have been reproduced in other books over the years.
The East End in Colour: 1960-1980 by David Granick
The East End in Colour: 1980-1990 by Tim Brown
Years published: 2018 and 2019
Publisher: Hoxton Mini Press
Buy them here and here
Photo book publisher Hoxton Mini Press has a substantial series of books containing vintage shots of Britain, with a few focused on London.
The East End in Colour collections are particularly interesting because the shots were taken by amateur photographers who lived and worked in east London (one a Stepney native, the other a tube driver on the Central Line).
You get a unique local’s perspective as they document an area that has drastically changed in a short space of time. And the Kodachrome film used in the first book looks fantastic.
If you want an even earlier look at the same part of town, try Nigel Henderson’s Streets: Photographs of London’s East End.
Soho Night & Day by Jeffrey Bernard, text by Frank Norman
Year published: 1966
Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Limited
Soho Night and Day by Helen Drew
Year published: 1995
Publisher: Mezzo
This is a double entry for two books of black and white street photography from one of London’s most famous neighbourhoods.
The first features pictures taken by Jeffrey Bernard in the 1960s. It documents the markets, pubs, clubs and colourful characters who made Soho such an entertaining and salacious place. Frank Norman was a writer and his commentary adds insight into what it was like to be at the heart of a cultural centre of the world at the time.
The book has recently been republished, which means it’s now possible to get a copy at a reasonable price.
In the 1990s, as part of a commission to mark the opening of Terance Conran’s Mezzo restaurant, Helen Drew set out to make a sort of sequel to the original Soho Night & Day.
Although the fashion had changed, Soho was still a decadent playground and many of the pubs and shops from the first book survived. There are hints of debauchery but you can feel the community and sense of pride from the revellers and the shop owners.
Both books feel like time capsules, especially when you see how much the area has evolved from both eras. Although on a good night there, you can still feel a connection to the past.
London. Portrait of a City edited by Reuel Golden
Year published: 2023
Publisher: Taschen
As you’d expect from a Taschen book, London. Portrait of a City is a bit more of a luxe, coffee table version of a photo book.
But it does contain shots from an impressive array of photographers, including David Bailey, Cecil Beaton, Bill Brandt, Anton Corbijn, Evelyn Hofer, Linda McCartney, Don McCullin, Juergen Teller, Mario Testino and Wolfgang Tillmans.
It aims to present snapshots of moments that represent the city, from Victorian times to the mid-2010s. And it does so through huge stunning single and double-page images, along with captions and additional information.
There are a few books that are compilations of photos of London, but this one does it best.
Don’t Call Me Urban!: The Time of Grime by Simon Wheatley
Year published: 2011
Publisher: Northumbria University Press
Don’t Call Me Urban! is a portrait of a specific moment in UK music history, born out London’s streets and estates. Simon Wheatley embedded himself in the lives of the teenagers who were building and shaping the grime scene in the early to mid 2000s.
Amongst the forlorn backdrops of cramped flats, car parks, and pirate radio studios he captures images of genre’s heroes and also-rans, along with a host of people on the periphery. The book contains glimpses of hope and melancholy, but also the self-determined creativity of kids who had few other outlets.
There are raw scenes like a teenager eating fish and chips on the floor of a bedroom by his mother’s feet. But also amazing posed shots like Roll Deep hanging off an ice cream van, Skepta in a fast food shop, and the iconic cover of Crazy Titch smoking with a dog perched on his shoulder.
Grime music talked about the reality of life in London that not everyone experienced, but Wheatley’s book is the perfect visualisation of it.
Although not purely based in London, Ewen Spencer’s Open Mic also covers the grime scene, and it came out a few years before Don’t Call Me Urban!. It’s slightly more stylised, although just as candid.
On the Night Bus by Nick Turpin
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Hoxton Mini Press
Although On the Night Bus doesn’t feature pictures of the city itself, anyone who has huddled up against a window veiled in condensation on a humid London night bus will recognise what Turpin’s book captures.
He used a long lens to take portraits of passengers on buses, and the mix of misty windows and lights of the city create a hauntingly beautiful effect. Something like a murky impressionist version of a Rembrandt painting.
Although copies aren’t as expensive as A Night in London, the original run sold out years ago and it is hard to find copies at a reasonable price. You can some of the pictures on Nick Turpin’s website and some are also featured in Unseen London, from the same publisher.
London Perceived by V. S. Pritchett with photos by Evelyn Hofer
Year published: 1962
Publisher: Harcourt, Brace & World
Not strictly a photo book, London Perceived is V.S. Pritchett’s tour through the city’s history, people, buildings and much more.
The essayist wrote the elegant portrait of London in the 1960s and the first few editions of the book featured pictures by the German-American photographer Evelyn Hofer.
There are wonderfully atmospheric cityscapes and portraits of its inhabitants. Although new editions of the book only feature the text, it’s fairly easy to find inexpensive copies that include the photos.
Café Royal Books selection
If you’re interested in photography, you’re probably familiar with the publisher Café Royal Books. They’ve published dozens of small format releases that are closer to zines than books. The photos are fantastic and their prices are more than reasonable.
Here are a few of their releases that focus on London:
London In Focus 
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