Colin Jones followed an unusual path into photography, having been a dancer with the Royal Ballet until his late 20s. While on tour in the north of England he began to take pictures of the mining communities and it was not long before he had given up dancing to begin his new career, landing a job at the Observer alongside photographers such as Philip Jones Griffiths and Don McCullin. Jones' subjects are working people: miners, shipbuilders, dockers and dancers. This rigorous monograph assimilates Jones' best work to date. Timelessly captivating, it is a revealing tale of industrial post-war Britain, and a moving portrait of poverty and physical hardship endured with dignity.

Colin Jones (b.1936), formerly a dancer with the Royal Ballet, began to take photographs of mining communities while on tour in the north of England. His career as a photographer started at the Observer in the 1960s, during which period he also became known for his portraits of rock icons of the period. Mark HaworthBooth is a curator and writer on photography, and is Acting Head of Research at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. His other books include British Photography (1989) and Photography: An Independent Art (1997)