The Rolling Stones: Black and White Blues, 1963. Photographs by Gus Coral.

Turner Publishing, 1995. 126 pages. Hardcover. First edition, first printing. Black-and-white photos by Gus Coral.  Texts by David Hinkley and Debra Rodman. Illustrated boards, not issued with dust jacket.  Like new with very minor shelf wear. Custom-made 4-mil polyester protector (not shown in photos accompanying this listing).  Uses photographs by Gus Coral to recount the Rolling Stones' first tour in 1963, when they accompanied Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and the Everly Brothers through northern England.  

Gus Coral is a British documentary photographer and former architecture student known for capturing rare, candid imagery of 1960s rock legends. After leaving Cambridge University, Coral—along with filmmakers James Miller and Dick Fontaine—embarked on a journey following a young, up-and-coming rock band called The Rolling Stones in 1963. Embracing a dynamic, "fly-on-the-wall" reportage style, he shot extensive candid photographs of the band backstage, in cafes, and during studio sessions before they achieved global fame, as well as capturing music icons like Little Richard and Bo Diddley. His intimate, historical archive of early British rock-and-roll remains celebrated as some of the earliest unposed photographs of The Rolling Stones prior to their rise to stardom.

Core Content and Narrative

This edition documents the Rolling Stones during a pivotal six-day window in 1963 while on a package tour of the UK. The book is structured to feel like a visual diary, capturing the band members—Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts—at the exact moment they were transitioning from blues enthusiasts to pop idols.

The "Everyman" Stones: The Turner edition emphasizes the mundane reality of the road. You see the band members sleeping on buses, hanging out in cramped dressing rooms, and interacting with fellow tour-mates like Bo Diddley and The Everly Brothers.

The Brian Jones Era: Because it is set in 1963, the book serves as a poignant record of Brian Jones's early leadership and his undeniable visual presence within the group.

Visual Style and Presentation

Photojournalistic Grit: Gus Coral used a candid, "fly-on-the-wall" approach. The images are unposed and grainy, capturing the smoky atmosphere of 1960s British theaters and the stark natural light of the English seaside.

Format: The Turner edition is typically recognized for its presentation, featuring high-contrast black-and-white reproductions that lean into the "Blues" aesthetic of the band’s roots.

Minimalist Design: The layout allows the photography to lead, often featuring full-bleed images that immerse the reader in the cramped backstage environments of the early 1960s.

Historical Significance

This specific edition is valued by collectors for preserving a "lost" archive. For decades, these negatives were largely unseen. The 1999 Turner release helped re-establish the importance of Gus Coral’s work in the canon of rock-and-roll photography, offering a counter-narrative to the more staged promotional photos of the era.