Jo Spence | The Unknown Recordings

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Jo Spence: The Unknown Recordings opens an unfiltered window onto one of Britain's most influential and uncompromising photographers. Drawn from newly-discovered tapes, documents and unpublished photographs in private and institutional collections, the material reveals a voice far more intimate, direct and searching than anything previously published.

At its core are two extraordinary audio recordings: a seven-hour British Library interview in which Spence reflects with forensic clarity on her early life, her political formation, her experience of class and the responsibilities of documentary practice; and a deeply personal self-recorded tape - made only for herself - in which she thinks through work, illness, relationships and the conditions of her own life. Together they form the most sustained and revealing account of her inner world.

The book also includes previously unseen images of the small London flat that served as her home, studio, workspace and meeting place: a space that helped shape her working life and her political imagination.

Intense, candid and often devastatingly honest, The Unknown Recordings offers a sustained, unvarnished account of a working life shaped by precarious housing, chronic illness and low-paid, self-directed work - a unique insight into Jo Spence's mind, methods and convictions. And an essential resource for anyone interested in photography, feminism, working-class cultural history, and the ways in which personal experience and political commitment can be woven into a lifelong practice

Thread-sewn, OTA binding, with flaps

Cover: Munken Polar Smooth 240 gsm
Text: Munken Polar Smooth 120 gsm

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Jo Spence | The Unknown Recordings

Description

Contents list
More Less

Foreword | Shirley Read

Introduction | Julia Winckler

The British Library Interview

The Personal Recording

The Cockpit Interview

Appendix 1: The Camerawork Sacking

Appendix 2: The Royal Festival Hall Retrospective

Appendix 3: The Mentor

Appendix 4: The Life

Contributors

Credits

Author and photographer
More Less

Jo Spence (1934-1992) was a British photographer, writer and cultural worker whose groundbreaking work helped to redefine the role of photography in feminist and radical practice. Beginning her career in commercial photography, she moved into documentary and political work in the 1970s, co-founding the Photography Workshop with Terry Dennett.

Her practice combined autobiography, therapy and activism, most notably in projects such asThe Picture of Health?, which chronicled her experience with breast cancer through the lens of photo therapy. Spence's work interrogated class, gender, and representation, challenging dominant visual narratives and advocating for photography as a means of personal and collective empowerment.

Her influence endures in contemporary debates on identity, illness, and the politics of the image.

Reviews
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Data
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Pages: 256
Illustrations: 30 colour and 8 monochrome images
Size: 230 x 170 mm 
Date: 2026
Editions: £35 [paperback] | £25 [eBook]
ISBN: 978-1-912528-64-6 [paperback]

Shipping Information
More Less

Photography Collection
We charge just £5 for worldwide shipping on all our printed books.

Digital Editions
Digital items are sent immediately and automatically via email with a link to download your purchase.

International Orders
Printed books and t-shirts which are shipped internationally may incur import duty or taxes, which are levied once the goods reach their destination.

These vary by country and are payable by the receiver; eBooks are exempt.

Description

Jo Spence: The Unknown Recordings opens an unfiltered window onto one of Britain's most influential and uncompromising photographers. Drawn from newly-discovered tapes, documents and unpublished photographs in private and institutional collections, the material reveals a voice far more intimate, direct and searching than anything previously published.

At its core are two extraordinary audio recordings: a seven-hour British Library interview in which Spence reflects with forensic clarity on her early life, her political formation, her experience of class and the responsibilities of documentary practice; and a deeply personal self-recorded tape - made only for herself - in which she thinks through work, illness, relationships and the conditions of her own life. Together they form the most sustained and revealing account of her inner world.

The book also includes previously unseen images of the small London flat that served as her home, studio, workspace and meeting place: a space that helped shape her working life and her political imagination.

Intense, candid and often devastatingly honest, The Unknown Recordings offers a sustained, unvarnished account of a working life shaped by precarious housing, chronic illness and low-paid, self-directed work - a unique insight into Jo Spence's mind, methods and convictions. And an essential resource for anyone interested in photography, feminism, working-class cultural history, and the ways in which personal experience and political commitment can be woven into a lifelong practice

Thread-sewn, OTA binding, with flaps

Cover: Munken Polar Smooth 240 gsm
Text: Munken Polar Smooth 120 gsm

Contents list

Foreword | Shirley Read

Introduction | Julia Winckler

The British Library Interview

The Personal Recording

The Cockpit Interview

Appendix 1: The Camerawork Sacking

Appendix 2: The Royal Festival Hall Retrospective

Appendix 3: The Mentor

Appendix 4: The Life

Contributors

Credits

Author and photographer

Jo Spence (1934-1992) was a British photographer, writer and cultural worker whose groundbreaking work helped to redefine the role of photography in feminist and radical practice. Beginning her career in commercial photography, she moved into documentary and political work in the 1970s, co-founding the Photography Workshop with Terry Dennett.

Her practice combined autobiography, therapy and activism, most notably in projects such asThe Picture of Health?, which chronicled her experience with breast cancer through the lens of photo therapy. Spence's work interrogated class, gender, and representation, challenging dominant visual narratives and advocating for photography as a means of personal and collective empowerment.

Her influence endures in contemporary debates on identity, illness, and the politics of the image.

Reviews

Data

Pages: 256
Illustrations: 30 colour and 8 monochrome images
Size: 230 x 170 mm 
Date: 2026
Editions: £35 [paperback] | £25 [eBook]
ISBN: 978-1-912528-64-6 [paperback]

Shipping Information

Photography Collection
We charge just £5 for worldwide shipping on all our printed books.

Digital Editions
Digital items are sent immediately and automatically via email with a link to download your purchase.

International Orders
Printed books and t-shirts which are shipped internationally may incur import duty or taxes, which are levied once the goods reach their destination.

These vary by country and are payable by the receiver; eBooks are exempt.

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