LONDON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

Seven days in September 2007 and an amazing creative internet
collaboration of professional and amateur photographers, journalists,
writers, bloggers and information researchers now culminates in the launch of
the stunning photographic book UK AT HOME: A Celebration of Where We Live and
Love.

With an introduction by Sir Paul McCartney, whose daughter Mary is one of
the 50 top UK photojournalist contributors, the book is a major publishing
event by the team of Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt, creators of the
international photography book best sellers Day in the Life and America 24/7
series. With more than 3 million of their best-selling books in print, they
have now brought their unique documentary approach to the UK for the first
time to capture the essence of the home in Britain today.

Introducing this exploration of the significance of a home to the
British, Sir Paul says: "Home is a place to return to, set off from, tell
your tales to, air your grievances in, share your joy in. It means different
things to each one of us but for me the warmth and strength of my home is
always foremost no matter where I roam."

Featuring more than 250 images, the books brings to life how we interact
with friends, family and pets as we transform our dwellings into our own
special space. From WAG mansions to static caravans, from mellowed stately
homes to council flats, all translate into our personal interpretation of
home.

The book also gives UK readers the ability for the first time to
personalise their copy of the book with a customised cover. Readers can take
their own digital photo or scan one from a print and then upload them to the
website http://www.UKatHome.co.uk where they will be printed and home
delivered.

Specially commissioned essays are featured from a diverse array of the
UK's literary heavyweights including Alexander McCall Smith, Simon
Winchester, Alain de Botton, Blake Morrison, Jackie Kay, Jeanette Winterson
and Will Self.

Detailed captions add an informative narrative to each photograph and
woven throughout the book are facts and statistics that place the photographs
in a larger social context that reflect the diversity of UK family lifestyles
today. Facts such as:

- The first item British homeowners would grab in the case of a fire or
other emergency would be the family photo album

- A third of people in the UK would feel uncomfortable approaching their
neighbours in case of emergency and one fifth don't know the name of those
living next door

- Women make 80% of home improvement decisions

- 20% of the population in the UK is under 16 and 17% is over 65

- 35 years ago the average mum stayed at home for 7 years after having a
baby - today about 2

The book's five sections - Home as a Sanctuary, Home and Your Obsessions,
Home as Your Workplace, Home and Your Companions, and Home Rituals and
Celebrations also introduce a host of characters including:

- Inspirational teacher Sab Sahota-Lyons, 33, a mother of three living in
East Sussex. Although she lost her sight during childhood she was voted
teacher of the year in 2001 at the Pride of Britain Awards

- Sandra Graham, 62, being forced to move out of her home of 32 years on
the same street where Ringo Starr was born in Liverpool

Creator Rick Smolan says: "The idea of 'home' is as universal and deeply
ingrained as that of 'mother' or 'father'. Ask people to describe what the
word 'home' means to them and their answers tap into a deep pool of emotions
and memories. We're thrilled that so many people in the UK helped us to
create a digital time capsule that may prove to be an invaluable resource for
us to understand the importance of home life in the new millennium."

Sponsored by IKEA UK as part of its 21st birthday celebrations, the
multi-million pound project was one of the largest in internet history and
the most extensive record of UK home life attempted since the Doomsday book.

Besides massive grassroots online outreach by the main sponsor IKEA, as
well as Google, Snapfish and Facebook and scores of bloggers, tens of
thousands of Britons were also invited to contribute their own photos of home
life via a series of daily snapshots taken throughout the week. The result
was that 150,000 digital photographs were submitted to the project website by
both professional and amateur photographers to be reviewed by a panel of top
magazine and newspaper photo editors.

Peter Hogsted, IKEA UK country manager says: "Home is the most important
place in the world. Our support for the UK AT HOME project is a perfect fit
because IKEA believes the essence of home goes far beyond bricks and mortar
or tables and chairs. It's the family interactions, the diversity in
lifestyles, the feelings of security, love, friendship, warmth and laughter,
the opportunity to just be yourself and be together with your loved ones -
sentiments which the book encapsulates."

Notes to Editors:

Rick Smolan is a former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer
best known as the co-creator of the Day in the Life and America 24/7 series.
He and his partner, Jennifer Erwitt, are the principals of Against All Odds
Productions, which specializes in the design and execution of large-scale
global projects that combine compelling storytelling with state-of-the-art
technology. Fortune magazine describes Against All Odds as 'one of the
coolest companies in America'. Smolan and Erwitt live with their two children
in northern California.

UK AT HOME: A celebration of where we live and love
    Created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt
    Duncan Baird Publishers
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    GBP19.99 hardback
    ISBN 978-1-84483-046-6



Pictures accompanying this release are available through the PA 
Photowire. They can be downloaded from http://www.pa-mediapoint.press.net or 
viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk.