Tony Blair, up close and personal Photograph: David Levene for the GuardianPhotograph: David Levene/David Levene for the GuardianThe former PM said in a Guardian interview that he knew Gordon Brown would be a disaster as leaderPhotograph: David Levene for the GuardianBlair also defended the war in Iraq and New Labour's public service and welfare reform plansPhotograph: David Levene for the GuardianCopies of Blair's memoirs on display at a Waterstone's storePhotograph: Oli Scarff/Getty ImagesA Waterstone's worker carries a pile of booksPhotograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPAHot off the press, copies of Blair's 718-page autobiographyPhotograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPAJournalists interview a man who bought a copy of Blair's bookPhotograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/APCopies of the book labelled for collection by journalists at the offices of its publisher, Random HousePhotograph: Katie Collins/PABookstore employees pose for the camerasPhotograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPABlair dominates the front pages of the day's national newspapersPhotograph: Public DomainHere he is on the cover of the Daily Mail ...Photograph: Public Domainthe Times ...Photograph: Public Domainthe Mirror ...Photograph: Public Domainthe Telegraph ...Photograph: Public Domain... and the IndependentPhotograph: Public Domain