Celebrate a golden age of consumerism with Mid-Century Ads: Advertising from the Mad Men Era ($60). Arriving in a slipcase, this two-volume set contains over 700 pages of advertisements from the ’50s and ’60s, including full-color ads and interesting insights from authors Jim Heimann and Steven Heller. Arriving in February 2012, or just in time to brighten up the middle of a dreary winter.
Andy Warhol is said to be one of the greatest painters and artists of the 20th century. After immortalizing Jacqueline Kennedy, Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe on silkscreen prints his work “Dollar Sign” is now being hailed, and how. A series by the Monnaie de Paris, is out with gold “money” that sports a “Dollar sign”. The flip side features a self-portrait dated 1928-1987. A collaborated effort with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc., to commemorate 25 years of his death, the “Making Money Is Art” Collection is made up of four gold coins and a silver coin too.
The 17 gm 100 Euro coin is up for €1100 ($1,425). Collectors can also opt for the larger and of course more expensive 500 Euro and 5000 Euro versions too.
We’re big fans of Charles and Ray Eames, the dynamic husband-and-wife team responsible for some of last century’s most iconic designs. Eames: The Architect and the Painter ($24) goes beyond their designs to investigate their personal life and influence on American life, with interesting but nonetheless hit-or-miss results — but still, what else are you going to watch once football season is over?
Share your love for the fruits of Jony Ive’s magical bunker workshop with all your holiday guests by giving Apple Design a prominent spot on your coffee table. This 320-page hardcover tome mixes photos of over 200 Apple products produced since Ive took the design reigns at the company with stories of the products’ development and explanations of the production methods and materials applied. Also makes a perfect gift for the design- and Apple-obsessed.
The life of Michael Jackson can truly be admired when one takes note, that after the star death in 2009, he has managed to sell more albums and memorabilia than ever before. All across the world, the demand for his records and collectibles touched epic proportions, and those lucky owners who managed to get any piece of memorabilia related to the star, wear it as a badge of pride. Catering to this category of Jackson’s fans, Bungalow Publishing have created a limited edition monumental book called ‘Dear Michael’, that shall put on display some of the rarest aspects of ‘King of Pop’s life. Created by Marisa Garau and Arjan van Woensel, Bungalow Publishing has always worked towards creating special edition products such as this book, which will be a specimen of craftsmanship, other than being an elaborate pictorial display of Michael Jackson’s life. Available in a limited edition series of only 2,000 individually numbered copies, this book has been bound in hand crafted black leather fabric, which processes a fixed pattern of print throughout. The next and perhaps most distinguishable factor, is the portrait of Michael Jackson on the cover, created with 3,000 hand selected Swarovski crystals from the craftsmen in Austria. Created with multiple shaded crystals, it creates a very imposing picture of Michael Jackson to remind readers about the special content of the book.
Detailing has gone down to the finishing of the pages as well. The silky smooth texture and silver coating of the edges have ensured that they never stick to the one another and are easy to turn over under all conditions. Along with the book, there will be a special designed white and wooden finish casing, that will allow the book to erected at your center table as a decorative item, or even put it up for display at a museum. There will also be a special ‘MJ’ badge, which is crafted by the same enterprise which makes the British Royal family’s official badges. Just like the book, these will be also be individual numbered and available in a limited edition series. In terms of content inside, the book will contain high quality photographs and detailed tributes to the ‘King of Pop’ from around the world, including the heartfelt messages, and various gestures of the fans who displayed their sadness in many ways. It will also contain some of Michael’s most famous quotes as well.
As a far as unveiling of the book is concerned, it is stated to happen in selected stores in London, Sanghai, and New York, for 2012. Just attending the unveiling will cost each fan a sum of $7,499 each, but looking at the craze, this might not be as strong a deterrent.
Terry Richardson’s new Lady Gaga photo book, Lady Gaga x Terry Richardson, features 350 original behind-the-scenes photos of Gaga taken over a 10-month period. Following nearly a year of her life beginning with Lollapallooza 2010 and ending with the final show of her Monster Ball tour, Terry took over 100,000 images, capturing Lady Gaga in a way never seen before. Released by Grand Central Publishing, the book is now available through various bookstores.
Cecil Beaton was one of the 20th century’s most important photographers, and now for the first time ever, Assouline presents his private scrapbooks—personal collections of the man who helped invent the cult of personality.
The Man from La Mancha
An in-depth exploration of Almodóvar’s complete œuvre
Un film de Almodóvar: whether appearing in his stylish opening credits or on the suggestive poster that invariably accompanies each of his films, this announcement triggers a range of expectations. Sexy and subversive, colorful and controversial, passionate and provocative, Pedro Almodóvar’s world is unlike any other director’s. Thanks to his remarkably cohesive and consistent œuvre, the Manchegan maverick has become a reliable brand, his name a byword for the visual opulence, experimentation and eroticism of post-Franco Spanish cinema.
Almodóvar found fame with self-penned, gender-bending plots depicting the often comic misfortunes of junkies, nuns, housewives, whores, transvestites and transsexuals. Praised by critics, championed by fellow film-makers, adored by actors and adorned with international awards, he is the most successful Spanish film-maker since Luis Buñuel, with films such as Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Volver.
A self-taught auteur, Almodóvar draws on influences as diverse as Douglas Sirk, Frank Tashlin, Andy Warhol and John Waters. His feature films borrow liberally from, and frequently invert, traditional genres of classic American cinema—including film noir, melodrama and screwball comedy. Yet they remain unmistakably Iberian, rooted predominantly in the director’s beloved Madrid, exploring Spanish myths and modernity to the rhythms of bolero-laden soundtracks. Most recently, the enfant terrible of the 1980s arthouse scene has matured into the Academy Award-winning director of All About My Mother, a film universally acknowledged for its emotional resonance, sophistication and craftsmanship. Almodóvar’s distinctive, once marginalized world has finally entered the mainstream.
For this unprecedented monograph, Pedro Almodóvar has given TASCHEN complete access to his archives, including never-before-published images, such as personal photos he took during filming. In addition to writing captions for the photos, Almodóvar invited prominent Spanish authors to write introductions to each of his films, and selected many of his own texts to accompany this visual odyssey through his complete works.
TASCHEN has paired Mailer’s original text (his 1973 biography Marilyn) with Bert Stern’s extraordinary photographs—widely considered the most intimate ever taken of Monroe—to create a fitting tribute to the woman who, at the time of her death in 1962, was the world’s most famous, a symbol of glamour and eroticism for an entire generation. But though she was feted and adored by her public, her private life was that of a little girl lost, desperate to find love and security. Mailer’s Marilyn is beautiful, tragic, and complex. As Mailer reflects upon her life—from her bleak childhood through to the mysterious circumstances of her death—she emerges as a symbol of the bizarre decade during which she reigned as Hollywood’s greatest female star.
This book, conceived by Lawrence Schiller, Mailer’s collaborator on five works, combines the author’s masterful text with Stern’s penetrating images of the 36-year-old Marilyn. Photographed for Vogue magazine over three days at the Bel-Air Hotel, Marilyn had never allowed such unfettered access, nor had she looked so breathtakingly beautiful. Six weeks later, mysteriously, she was dead. In this bold synthesis of literary classic and legendary portrait sitting, Mailer and Stern lift the veils of confusion surrounding Monroe—the woman, the star, the sex symbol—and offer profound insight into an iconic figure whose true personality remains an enigma even today.
Whether you’re an animation buff or simply like learning more about the creative process, The Art of Pixar ($35) is a requirement for a cool coffee table this fall. Spanning over 300 pages, this unique tome offers a behind-the-scenes tour of every Pixar film to date, including the complete color scripts, select visual development art, and a foreword by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter. A fitting accompaniment for Steve Jobs, and way more flip-through friendly for your couch-dwelling guests.