Angeli, Daniel. Private Pictures. Photographs by Daniel Angeli and Jean-Paul Dousset.

Introduction by Anthony Burgess. London: Jonathan Cape, 1980. [Paparazzi style sneaky pictures of celebrities, sometimes naked, including Bridgette Bardot, Elton John, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Jack Nicholson, Gregory Peck, Dirk Bogarde, Peter Ustinov, the Queen Mother of England, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Omar Sharif, Yul Brynner, John Travolta, Giovanni Agnelli, Aristotle and Jacqueline Onassis, Edith Piaf, Maria Callas, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Gloria Swanson, Marlene Dietrich, Salvador Dali, Woody Allen, et al.]  Near fine in wraps, as issued, with crimps on cover.  Note: introduction slightly different than in Viking edition published in U.S. Summary:

Private Pictures (1980) is a pioneering photo book co-authored by French photojournalists Daniel Angeli and Jean-Paul Dousset, published by Jonathan Cape and Viking Press, featuring an insightful introductory essay by English novelist Anthony Burgess.

Overview & Core Subject

• Paparazzi Pioneerism: Long before "paparazzi" became a ubiquitous term in modern media culture, Angeli and Dousset were among the early practitioners of opportunistic, long-lens celebrity reportage. Private Pictures gathers their candid monochrome photographs tracking the mid-20th century's most iconic figures outside staged promotional settings.

• High-Profile Subjects: The collection captures a wide spectrum of global royalty, Hollywood icons, pop stars, and jet-set personalities—including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Aristotle Onassis, Brigitte Bardot, Romy Schneider, and Queen Elizabeth II.

Key Themes & Significance

1. Unscripted Vulnerability: The imagery strips away the polished, carefully managed public personas of midcentury celebrities. Captured on ski slopes in the Alps, leaving Parisian nightclubs, on private yachts, or navigating crowds, the subjects are caught in unguarded moments of annoyance, leisure, or raw humanity.

2. Cultural Commentary: In his introduction, Anthony Burgess contextualizes the public fascination with celebrity culture, meditating on the mythology of fame, the invasion of privacy, and the paradox of how society elevates public figures to "pantheon status" while remaining eager to view their private lives.

3. Documenting a Cultural Shift: Private Pictures stands as a pivotal historical document capturing the transition from classic Hollywood glamour to the modern era of aggressive tabloid journalism, highlighting the growing tension between public fame and personal privacy.