A new edition of Small World marks the end of a long and close collaboration with publisher Dewi Lewis. Peter Dench finds out more…
When the finished copies of Small World arrived in the UK in December it should have been a joyous occasion. Sadly Martin Parr was no longer alive to see them. The boxes of books landed just over a week after his death on December 6th. It brought to an end a collaboration that had lasted almost three decades and a working relationship that stretched back more than forty years.
In October, Dewi Lewis and his wife Caroline had travelled to meet Parr at the Martin Parr Foundation, where the three amigos gathered to finalise the edit for a new 2026 edition of Small World. ‘It had become almost a tradition, that with every reprint of the book we would change the cover and add in a number of new photos that Martin had rediscovered or taken recently,’ Lewis says. ’I had no sense of it being the last collaboration,’ he adds.
First published in 1995, Small World is one of Parr’s most enduring and influential books. It’s a sharp, funny and unsettling satire on global tourism and the creeping sameness of consumer culture. Over the years, Lewis and Parr produced six editions, each reflecting small shifts in how the world and tourists behaved. ‘Each one was slightly different. A new cover, sometimes new images, but always respecting the core of the book,’ states Lewis.
Eight new photographs were added for this most recent edition, five taken in 2025 and three rediscovered earlier images. Once the selection was agreed, Lewis returned home to Stockport to rework the sequence. ‘If you pull new images in, you can’t just drop them in. You need to rethink the whole flow of the book,’ he says. The revised sequence was sent to Parr for approval. He suggested one small change, then later asked if another image could be worked in. So we found a way of getting that in. Then it was approved, and I sent it off to the printers in Italy.’
Parr never saw the final object. ‘Somehow, I think I believed that Martin would always be there. He had the most extraordinary drive and energy, and such an enthusiasm for everything he was involved in. He was such a force of nature,’ admits Lewis. That energy never diminished. Even in the final months, Parr was travelling, signing books, and shooting commissions. He wasn’t slowing down, if anything he was quickening. A few days before he died he was in the Italian Alps shooting on assignment for Vogue Italia.
The Lewis – Parr relationship, built on trust and creative friction, evolved over decades. In the early days, edits were slow, physical and tactile. Parr would lay small work prints across the floor and the two would argue what mattered and what didn’t. ‘We’d work through which images were essential, what might sit together,’ Lewis recalls. In later years, the process became faster, more instinctive. ‘Martin knew exactly what he wanted. Sometimes I agreed, sometimes I didn’t but it was always collaborative.’
That collaboration is key to understanding Small World’s longevity. While the book’s most iconic images have remained constant, each edition is open to absorbing cultural shifts. One major revision came in 2018, when smartphones and selfies reshaped the tourist experience. ‘That was the point where the mobile phone had really taken over,’ Lewis remembers. ‘So we added images that reflected that, people experiencing places through their phones.’
The book’s core thesis remains intact. Small World reveals a paradox at the heart of tourism. That craving for difference that ultimately produces uniformity. Bewildered tourists are both willing participants in consumer culture and victims of it. Trapped in a loop of spectacle, consumption and displacement. In an era of climate crisis and carbon accounting, Parr’s observations perhaps feel more prescient now than they did thirty years ago.
Lewis first encountered Parr’s work in the 1970s, later publishing many of his most important books. ‘Martin was immensely loyal,’ he says. ‘Friendships stretching back years. He always had time for others, time to look at people’s work, to give advice, to chat, to let anyone take a selfie with him. Almost always with warmth and a smile, no matter what pressure he was under.’
Lewis witnessed that generosity at Parr’s funeral. ‘It sounds strange to say it, but it was very good,’ he says ‘Obviously sad, but it was also celebratory.’ The funeral was intended to be small, for family and close friends. Word got out and around 200 people turned up. A photographer was specifically assigned to document it, so very Parr. ‘People were sitting around talking about experiences with Martin, some very funny stories emerged. Someone at the Foundation said, ‘I hate to say it, but it was actually fun.’ And that felt right,’ reflects Lewis.
For now at least, Lewis considers Small World complete. Future reprints may come, but this feels like a natural pause. He notes that Parr was never precious about the book in the way he was with others like The Last Resort (Lewis has a special 40th anniversary facsimile edition planned). The absence of Parr during our call is palpable. ‘It’s the model of relationship I want with photographers. Being engaged in the whole process. Without that, publishing would be incredibly boring,’ he says.
Martin Parr has dearly departed, but Small World endures. Leafing through my 1995 edition it’s still restless, distinctly funny, uncomfortable and unerringly sharp. As Lewis puts it simply, ‘Martin has gone, but his work, and his commitment to photography and photographers, will live on for many generations.’
Martin Parr: Small World 2026 Edition by Dewi Lewis Publishing is available via:
https://www.dewilewis.com/products/small-world-new-revised-edition
£36.00 hardback, 112 pages, 86 colour plates, 240mm x 300mm,
ISBN: 978‐1‐916915‐00‐8
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