The Guitar Collection Flat Top 43 Deluxe Edition is limited to 1500 copies

This is not a big book. It is a HUGE book. And when I say huge I don’t mean slightly above average book size either. It is 23 inches wide and 11 inches tall and weighs 20 pounds! Not the kind of book you will be able to fit on your book shelves. So the publisher came up with an awesome alternative: the book comes with its own hand crafted leather carrying case.

This custom leather case has satin nickel latches and is lined with beautiful fabric just like a real guitar case. The case holds the book itself as well as a companion piece with stories on the guitar collection, a certificate of authenticity and a stunning print signed by photographer John Peden. The sheer size and quality of this publication is very much remniscent of the insanely large original Helmut Newton release from taschen in 1999: You have to see it to believe its real.

Now, if the almost 32 inches wide 10.5 pound stunning case with burgundy fleece lining and the 24×12 inch museum grade print alone weren’t enough to win you over already, then the contents, 670 full color high definition images most certainly will. The photographs are of a truly jaw dropping quality and are bound in well over 500 pages. The companion book contains an additional 180 photographs and stories on the subject.

The Guitar collection contains guitars from the Country Musical, Rock and Hard Rock Halls of Fame and features pictures from Paul McCartney, Jim Page and Keith Richard instruments along with pictures of guitars from over 40 locations in North America and the United Kingdom including the legendary J45 from Buddy Holly.

A stunning Buddy Holly's J45 print that is signed by the photographer is included

The Verdict

This is the mother of all guitar books. Period.

Unfortunately awesome things tend to come with an awesome pricetag. The recommended retail price for this insanely large book is $1500. That is quite steep, but still not bad considering the size and quality and sheer exclusivity of the entire package and the amount of detail and effort that went into this publication. Similar limited editions with signed and numbered prints in other book categories tend to be far more expensive and I cannot think of any other guitar book that even comes close to this one. In fact I was sold the second I first laid eyes on this book. Turns out I was a bit too eager because a few weeks later I found an online retailer that now offers a $400 discount(!) on the list price. Needless to say this upset me a bit after my rather expensive shopping spree. So if you want to buy one of the last remaining in stock I highly suggest shopping here instead.

Linda McCartney – A life in photographs is a limited “collectors edition” photography book that is released in 750 pieces run by publication powerhouse Taschen. It is a retrospective of Linda McCartney’s life and photography who started her career with her clearly original and highly informal shots of the Rolling Stones on a yacht on the Hudson River. In May 1968 she became the first female photographer to have her work featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. During her career she has photographed some of rock n rolls most influential musicians including including Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, The Who, and the Grateful Dead.

Linda married Paul McCartney in 1969 after they met at a launch event for one of his albums with the Beatles. This book features stunning and very candid photography of many years of touring with the Beatles as well as much of Linda’s family life with Paul. The book really is a must have for rock photography fans. Needless to say hardcore Beetles fans will drool over its contents.
Contributing authors for this book are world renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz and historian and curator Martin Harrison. The book was edited by Alison Castle who also worked on titles on photography, film, and design, such as Some Like it Hot and The Stanley Kubrick Archives.

This edition is released in a truly magnificent clamshell box that gives this edition a very luxurious feel. Lukcily for those with a slightly smaller waller, the book is available in a number of different sizes and options. These range from a very affordable general edition, a limited collectors edition of 750 copies and two very special art editions that include a pigment print on Hahnemuehle paper, numbered and signed by Sir Paul McCartney in a print size of 40 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in.). Needless to say the latter will undoubtably become a highly sought after version that will make an interesting investment to those interested in buying and selling high end art books. We caught up with this book at a bookstore in Berlin and were quite impressed with it’s quality. So much in fact that I seriously considered buying this book and if it hadn’t been for my wife pointing towards another quite expensive yet awesome title it would be sitting on my desk right now.

Positives

• beautiful clamshell box
• avaiable in a wide range of sizes and pricing options
• a must have for any rock photography fan
• interesting investment for art book afficionados
• high quality

Negatives

It’s hard to fault such an impressive publication. Although some will contend that the art editions have a fairly steep pricing it must be said that those will get you limited edition prints of some very fine photography artwork that would likely fetch considerately more when you’d purchase these through an art gallery.

The Verdict

With an average price of around 2 grand (at the time of this publication) the high end versions of this book will likely be out of reach for most general collectors, but avid rock photography fans cannot afford to miss it. If you want one we suggest buying it right now before the limited runs is out of stock. If you want the art edition there’s a pretty good chance it will be sold out by the time you read this.

Weighing 0.576 kilograms and made out of solid titanium this full frame digital camera in a classic timeless design enclosure is a true masterpiece of engineering. It was designed by Walter da Silva, the man also responsible for the current stunning looks of the new Audi car series.The camera comes with the LEICA SUMMILUX-M 1:1,4/35 mm ASPH lense which is also housed in a full solid titanium enclosure. It supports most -- but not all -- Leica M lenses and comes in a stunning red box.

The camera’s monitor screen has been fitted with scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass and the entire enclosure has been treated with a special hardened surface material to make the enclosure itself scratch resistant as well.

The Leica Titan M9 comes with an ultra stylish carrying “holster” for easy transportation and quick availability when shooting pictures. If you are looking for the ultimate retro camera. This is it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WstJ43EjVDI

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Ellen von Unwerth

Ellen von Unwerth used to be a “supermodel” before she became a photographer and knows her stuff. In this incredible book she depicts women in a candid, intimate, sensual and always beautiful way. Paying homage to the world’s most delectable women, Fraulein celebrates female icons in provocative poses: Claudia Schiffer, Penelope Cruz, Natalie Portman, Kate Moss, Vanessa Paradis, Britney Spears, Dita von Teese, Adriana Lima, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan, Carla Bruni, Eva Green and many more.

Limited Edition of only 1500 copies, signed and numbered by the photographer

The Fraulein Boxen Limited Edition Book

Switching effortlessly between color and immaculate black and white, von Unwerth’s photography revels in sexual intrigue, femininity, romance, fetishism and sheer joie de vivre. The photographs in this book were shot over the last 15 years and many are previously unpublished. This is yet another massive quality photography book by top publishing house Taschen, best known for their incredible works such as the awesome Helmut Newton’s Sumo book and recent re-release.

Hardcover in a clamshell box, 30.5 x 44 cm (12 x 17.3 in.), 482 pages

Images courtesy of Taschen Publishing

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy highlights the extraordinary years between 1953 and 1979, with a huge selection of centerfolds and writing by Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac and Ray Bradbury. It also includes some of the most important Playboy Interviews, including those with Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Richard Nixon, and Roman Polanski. This huge collection contains a vast selection of personal photos many previously unseen. These include behind-the-scenes shots from the Playboy Mansion, Playboy Clubs, and the Big Bunny jet. This is the definitive history of Playboy and its legendary founder.

• The Hugh Hefner’s Playboy 6 Volumes Collectors Edition is released in a very limited number of only 1,500 sets,each numbered and signed by Hugh Hefner
• Six volumes totaling 3,506 pages
• packaged in a 10mm-thick Plexiglas box
• Features 59 of the hottest Centerfolds in full size
• Contains all 312 covers from the magazine’s first 25 years
• Comprehensive overview of artwork and pictorials by all of the important Playboy artists and photographers
• Contains a facsimile edition of Playboy s groundbreaking first issue, featuring Marilyn Monroe’s iconic nude portrait
• Hefner s text in English with German, French and Spanish translations

Special bonus: includes a 7 x 7 cm piece of Hef’s legendary silk pajamas

Photo previews courtesy of TASCHEN Publishing.

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