Glasgow 1955: Through the Lens features the work of dozens of photographers who took part in a city-wide survey that year.

Partick Camera Club suggested the survey and 86 people took part creating a superb social document of a city on the brink of change. The book features 90 photographs from the survey. An exhibition of some of the prints is already open at the People's Palace and Winter Gardens.

Some 300 images were originally displayed at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in September 1955 before being donated to Glasgow Museums.

Many of the scenes in the book and exhibition evoke strong memories of a bygone era. The city was just recovering after the war, rationing had ended in 1954, trams ran across the city and horses and carts were still a common sight. Cars were a rarity.

Tony Roper, actor and writer of The Steamie attended the launch and spoke about a number of the images and his memories of Glasgow in the 1950s.

Pupils from Castlemilk High School performed scenes from The Steamie, and Susan and Gary from the Fly Right Dance Company jived to the sounds of Fifties rock 'n' roll music.

Many of the images depict the overcrowded living conditions and poor housing at the time and the efforts that were already underway to build new homes for the people of Glasgow.

The photographs in the book were mostly taken by members of camera clubs, but other organisations also got involved such as the Ramblers Association. Other images in the book include women doing washing in Partick Steamie, children in a wedding scramble in Gemmel Street and a series of images of the Clyde during its heyday.

Bailie Liz Cameron, the Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow said, 'The exhibition is a wonderful insight into the history of our city. The book will bring back a whole host of memories for some but also offers a younger generation an insight into what life was like for their parents and grandparents.

'It's testament to the men and women who took the pictures that such a fascinating historical archive exists to be appreciated by a whole new audience more than 50 years later'.

Fiona Hayes, joint author of the book and Curator of Social History at the People's Palace and Winter Gardens said, 'The photographs form a remarkable collection which depicts the changes happening in Glasgow after the end of the war.

'Many of the scenes put buildings and landmarks that we are still familiar with today in a very different light. It shows clearly the challenges facing the city and the people of Glasgow in the mid 1950s and how they enjoyed themselves'. -- www.glasgowmuseums.com