Cassell Illustrated snaps up O’Neill’s 'ultimate portrait' of Bowie

Octopus imprint Cassell Illustrated is releasing photographer Terry O’Neill’s “ultimate portrait” of David Bowie, containing rare and never-before-seen pictures.

Senior commissioning editor Joe Cottington acquired world rights in all languages for Bowie by O'Neill: The definitive collection with unseen images from Carrie Kania at Iconic Images. Originally released by Red Engine as a £1,500 limited edition art book, the retail edition includes 16 pages of new material, and will be published on 8th August at £40.

The result of O’Neill’s long creative partnership with Bowie, the book has more than 500 photographs including contact sheets. It includes an introduction from O’Neill discussing in detail his experiences of working with the rock legend.

Cottington said: “Terry is a giant of photography, and his years of collaboration with an artist as fascinating as David Bowie have created a truly exceptional body of work. We’re delighted to be publishing this definitive collection, one that Bowie’s many dedicated fans are going to cherish for years to come.”

O’Neill is regarded as one of the most important photographers of his generation, taking renowned shots of artists from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Elizabeth Taylor to Audrey Hepburn. His work with Bowie included images from the final Ziggy Stardust performance, recording sessions for "Young Americans" and the renowned studio portraits for "Diamond Dogs".

He said: “When I first started to collect all my images and contact sheets of David Bowie, I didn’t realise how many I had. That first phone call I received to work with Bowie resulted in a real partnership between us. I was lucky enough to get that call and smart enough to say yes. He was a one-of-a kind, always changing and a true genius. It gives me great pleasure to be able to share with the world the images I captured and my memories of working with this extraordinary artist. He has the most loyal fans I’ve ever come across and I truly hope this book brings them a lot of joy.”