Liverpool by Phil Maxwell, Volume 1

LIVERPOOL, the first in a new series of photography books by Phil Maxwell, presents a unique collection of images documenting the city — many previously unpublished — and photographed by Maxwell between 1972 and 2025.

Drawing on an archive built over a lifetime, Maxwell’s camera has long served as his notebook, artistic mentor and friend. His deep connection to Liverpool dates from his student years in the early 1970s and his return to the city in 2015, bringing a dual perspective of past and present.

“Liverpool became my ‘University of Life’, where I made friends, went clubbing, photographed the streets, listened to people a lot wiser than me, and grew up,” says Maxwell. “Liverpool left an indelible mark on my consciousness and outlook on life, and it was the perfect place to begin my photographic journey.”

The book showcases street photography, black-and-white imagery and urban portraits that capture everyday life, overlooked corners and the evolving built environment of a city in flux. As Maxwell writes:

“For me, the street is the ever-changing theatre of life that embodies the uncensored natural rhythms of human behaviour."