Utterly Lazy and Inattentive by Martin Parr - ISBN: 9781802068719
Paperback
Iconic photos, ordinary life: Martin Parr’s irreverent photographic journey.
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Utterly Lazy and Inattentive

Martin Parr in Words and Pictures

$50.34

  • Paperback

    312 pages

  • Release Date

    12 December 2026

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Summary

In this collection of iconic pictures, one of the most popular photographers on the planet recounts his life and art - and gives us a love song to queues, church fates, and Spice Girls-themed crisps.

“That’s very much one of my techniques: just hang around. Loitering with intent.”

When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was ‘utterly lazy and inattentive’ in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the w…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781802068719
ISBN-10:1802068716
Author:Martin Parr, Wendy Jones
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint:Penguin
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:312
Release Date:12 December 2026
Weight:500g
Dimensions:35mm x 155mm x 210mm
A-Format
B-Format
Utterly Lazy and Inattentive by Martin Parr - ISBN: 9781802068719
155 × 210 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Poignant, deeply personal … It includes the stories behind some of Parr’s most iconic photographs, all told with his signature dry humor … Utterly Lazy and Inattentive reflects how Parr approached photography — and life — with infinite wonder and curiosity * The New York Times *
Gorgeous … I loved Parr’s emphasis on recording the everyday, which is boring at the time, and then precious afterwards, when it’s gone. It’s just what I hope to do with writing, and treasure in reading – Tessa Hadley
- - Praise for Martin Parr * - *
Martin Parr is a genius * W Magazine *
Martin Parr is the quintessential anorak * Prospect *
Martin Parr is the ultimate chronicler of Englishness * VICE *
Martin Parr is the Jay-Z of documentary photography * Star Tribune *
Like any successful spy, Martin Parr is the sort of guy you wouldn’t look at twice if you passed him in the street * The Times *
Martin Parr is the emperor of bad taste – Vicki Goldberg
Like all great artists, Martin Parr has altered how we see the world – Grayson Perry

About The Author

Martin Parr

Martin Parr is one of the world’s most famous and successful photographers, particularly celebrated as a searing and witty documentarian of British life. He holds the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous photography exhibition: on 1st April 1999, Common Sense was shown simultaneously at 41 galleries around the world. Today, there is always at least one Parr show on somewhere in the world.

Wendy Jones is a writer based in London. She is the author of seven books, including the bestselling Grayson Perry, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl. She has a PhD from Goldsmiths on writing interview-based biographies, and her books have been published in eleven languages.

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