In 1964, Elliott Erwitt spent a week in Cuba as a guest of Fidel Castro. Commissioned by Newsweek, he captured the Cuban president, beloved by the people, together with revolutionary leader Che Guevara in photographs that have become icons. More than 50 years later - when diplomatic relations with the USA normalised - he returned to Cuba to document both cities and landscapes, but above all the people of this fascinating country. Collected for the first time in a book, these captivating black-and-white photographs provide a deep insight into life on this beguiling Caribbean island. Unposed portraits of Castro, images of the breathtaking architecture of the capital Havana or scenes of rural life make Cuba a photographic voyage of discovery into the heart and soul of the country. With Erwitt's own anecdotal recollections - such as the moment Che Guevara offered him a box of cigars - and a stirring foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr, this fantastic coffee table book is more than a mere snapshot of the people and places of Cuba - it is the historical record of a nation in transition as it opens up to the rest of the world.

ELLIOTT ERWITT is one of the stars of magazine photography. His journalistic essays and individual images as well as his advertising photographs have been published in magazines worldwide. Erwitt has been a member of the Magnum photo agency since 1953. He has published numerous books and had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Kunsthaus Zürich, among others.

Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist and critic HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. has been instrumental in establishing several academic institutions. He has authored or co-authored 21 books and produced 15 documentary films and series, including the groundbreaking genealogy series Finding Your Roots for the US television network PBS.