Losing Ground, by Donovan Wylie (4th Estate, £9.99 in UK)

This slight volume acts as both self-conscious photographic record of the life and times of a group of "New Age Travellers" in Margaret Thatcher's Britain, and as heavy-handed social comment. Having exchanged the freedom of their country existence, the group move to London, with grimly predictable results, specifically apathy and drugs. Most of the photographs are unremarkable and lack the urgency of many newspaper pictures achieved with far less time and subject co-operation - the strongest image appears on the cover. Multiple good intentions aside, this overpriced little book seems more pre tentious than visionary.