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Best Individual Artist Monographs

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen. "For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on. "The catalog—with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who won’t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer. The most radical designs of his career are presented here, with critical analysis perfect for any arts or fashion library. "The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum's Alexander McQueen retrospective has proven so popular that the exhibit has been extended until August 7. But if that still isn't enough time for you to get down to see it, the next best thing to a New York City jaunt is the definitive monograph, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. ".
Reviews
"This book is a beautifully put together compilation or MANY (not all) of his brilliant clothes from his first collection up until the posthumous Angels and Demons."
"This book is inspiringly beautiful, filled with avant grade fashions characterized by clean but eccentric lines, the blending of male and female, and garments with beautifully architectural features."
"There is a short bio at the front of the book that is only about 10 pages long, if that, which is probably enough for this book, which highlights the beauty of his garments."
"The beautiful photography has inspired me in many ways and I very highly recommend this books to artists and readers who are interested in Alexander McQueen and fashion."
"Each of these books was for one of our grandchildren... the 12 yr. old who is gifted in design is mesmerized by McQueen... he spent the holiday "designing" outfits for males & femalles... the 4 yr. old is having trouble "sharing" so Llama Llama is just right for her... Love Looks Not, etc., will be given to grandson for his Feb. birthday..."
"I love looking at them over and over."
"This book looks beautiful in person."
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Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer
A comprehensive and breathtakingly illustrated presentation of the genius of Michelangelo by the world’s leading expert on the artist The Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was especially celebrated for his disegno , a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design. Carmen C. Bambach is curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Reviews
"Good deal on a great book!"
"I thought I was getting a 392-page coffee table book but to my disappointment, the final 100 pages of this book (or 25% of total pages) are comprised of exhibition notes and bibliographical text -- and this does not include the essays in the earlier chapters of the book."
"The exhibit book arrived in perfect condition and in a timely manner."
"This is a stunning book, detailed text with beautiful images from Michelangelo’s work."
"A comprehensive and enlightening text accompanied by exquisite images."
"My father almost cried when he saw this for Christmas."
"most excellent, it is a Christmas present for a friend ,, what a beautiful book and at such a great price .. thanks so much ..."
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How to Use Graphic Design to Sell Things, Explain Things, Make Things Look Better, Make People Laugh, Make People Cry, and (Every Once in a While) Change the World
The first monograph, design manual, and manifesto by Michael Bierut, one of the world’s most renowned graphic designers—a career retrospective that showcases more than thirty-five of his most noteworthy projects for clients as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Yale School of Architecture, the New York Times , Saks Fifth Avenue, and the New York Jets, and reflects eclectic enthusiasm and accessibility that has been the hallmark of his career.
Reviews
"If you like reading about the stories behind a design, you will be delighted with this book."
"This book is a must have in your design book collection."
"This book is absolutely beautiful."
"useful information, quality."
"Good book, just what I was expecting."
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Best Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen. "For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on. "The catalog—with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who won’t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer. The most radical designs of his career are presented here, with critical analysis perfect for any arts or fashion library. "The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum's Alexander McQueen retrospective has proven so popular that the exhibit has been extended until August 7. But if that still isn't enough time for you to get down to see it, the next best thing to a New York City jaunt is the definitive monograph, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. ".
Reviews
"I was not really familiar with Alexander McQueen but I have heard his name mentioned in the fashion world and when I saw this book I was curious so I bought it."
"High quality binding with a fun visual on the cover."
"Great coffee table book!"
"If you are interested in McQueen revolutionary work this book is for you."
"This really is a book about the art and not a biography as some have criticized it for lacking keep that in mind."
"This book is a wonderful, beautiful collection of photographs and quotes that celebrate this genius and artist."
"This book is a beautifully put together compilation or MANY (not all) of his brilliant clothes from his first collection up until the posthumous Angels and Demons."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Erotic Arts & Photography

Tom of Finland (Multilingual Edition)
The work was gathered from collections across the United States and Europe with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation, and features many drawings, paintings, and sketches never previously reproduced . The elegant oversized volume showed the full range of Tom’s talent, from sensitive portraits to frank sexual pleasure, to tender expressions of love, and haunting tributes to young men struck down by AIDS, and was completed by eight commissioned essays on Tom’s social and personal impact by Camille Paglia, John Waters, Armistead Maupin, Todd Oldham , and others, plus a scholarly analysis of individual drawings by art historian Edward Lucie-Smith . Dian Hanson produced a variety of men’s magazines from 1976 to 2001, including Juggs, Outlaw Biker, and Leg Show, before becoming TASCHEN’s Sexy Book editor.
Reviews
"This is the same calendar available from the Tom of Finland Foundation."
"A great collection of his works from early years to the latter ones we are more familiar with."
"Great Book and worth the price."
"Possibly the greatest purchase of my entire life."
"WAY beyond what I expected."
"It's waaaaay much more bigger and heavier than i expected."
"the book its perfect just i spected to be im in love with it."
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Best Cinematography

Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design
Designed by Jennifer Bass, Saul Bass's daughter and written by distinguished design historian Pat Kirkham who knew Saul Bass personally, this book is full of images from the Bass archive, providing an in depth account of one of the leading graphic artists of the 20th century. As design historian Pat Kirkham shows in his forthcoming book on Bass. (co-authored with Bass' daughter Jennifer), the legendary "visual communicator" also applied his graphic wizardry to album and book covers, typefaces, packaging, retail displays, a hi-fi system, toys and a postage stamp. Possibly the most famous graphic designer of all time....yet no definitive monograph of his prolific, monumental work has existed--until now."
Reviews
"Amazing book and very interesting about Saul's work and life."
"Great tribute to Saul."
"For me, it falls just short of a 5 star rating because in the movie. section devoted to Bass, it omits some of the rarest trade ads he designed for such movies as ONE TWO THREE, THE. LOUDEST WHISPER aka THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, and NINE HOURS TO RAMA--along with various movie trade ads he. did for SOME LIKE IT HOT, ATTACK, and others."
"Livro que conta toda a história do designer Saul Bass, texto de primeira qualidade, imagens de trabalhos consagrados e inéditos."
"Book came under packaged and had some dings on the edges."
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Best Art History

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
Look for the sequels to The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia , with The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts and the upcoming Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia due out April 24th 2018. He is the series producer and manager of The Legend of Zelda and won the Golden Joystick Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Reviews
"The opening letter from Shigeru Miyamoto sets a wonderful, celebratory tone for the rest of the book. The first third of the book, entitled "The Legend Begins: The World of Skyward Sword" is devoted to said title, the most recently released Zelda game we all played and loved. It's filled to the brim with the concept and official art that inspired Skyward's Sword brilliant aesthetic style. As one who views Skyward Sword as one of the most beautiful and brilliantly inspired video games ever made in terms of its art design and visuals, this is just fine with me. There's tons here, including a lot of really interesting ideas for characters that didn't make it into the game, like a floating Fi in a massive suit of armor or Zelda designs that are decidedly more elegant and fancy. There's also a good amount of location art that is simply gorgeous and really captures your imagination, just like the settings in the game did. What is even better about this section is the following 70 or so pages that actually chronicles, in great detail, the events of each timeline in chronological order. Sprinkled liberally through all of this are nice screenshots and art, as well as fascinating tidbits, like boxes that fully decipher the various Hylian/Hyrulean dialect text that appear in the games. This section closes with a very nice letter from Eiji Aonuma, arguably the second most important man behind the Legend of Zelda, after Shigeru Miyamoto of course. The lay-outs are nice, the printing quality is vibrantly beautiful and sharp as a tack, and the pages are crisp and clean. The binding is also high quality, which is important because this is a big book that would fall apart relatively quickly if it wasn't bound well. There are few games that capture the sense of beauty, imagination, and adventure like the Legend of Zelda effortlessly does with each and every release."
"As a Zelda fan it's wonderful to have a physical book of all game events (from 1986=2011), concept images and developer interviews."
"There's translations of some of the games in-game language systems and explanations for why certain things are as they are, for example hinting that timeshift stones and the ocarina of time are made of the same time-travel capable material. If I had to say anything negative, it would be that perhaps learning about the development decisions made during other games would have been nice, particularly Majora's mask, instead of just showing Skyward Sword concept art."
"One thing that I wish this had, and I don't know why I assumed it would... but I have a Nintendo Power magazine of Zelda from the 90's that was pretty cool."
"I say, anything that will hold his attention for that long and he will read in it daily, I consider it a great buy."
"After going through Amazon in search of gift ideas, I came across this particular one and decided it might be a good gift to purchase for him."
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Best Erotica Art

Tom of Finland (Multilingual Edition)
The work was gathered from collections across the United States and Europe with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation, and features many drawings, paintings, and sketches never previously reproduced . The elegant oversized volume showed the full range of Tom’s talent, from sensitive portraits to frank sexual pleasure, to tender expressions of love, and haunting tributes to young men struck down by AIDS, and was completed by eight commissioned essays on Tom’s social and personal impact by Camille Paglia, John Waters, Armistead Maupin, Todd Oldham , and others, plus a scholarly analysis of individual drawings by art historian Edward Lucie-Smith . Dian Hanson produced a variety of men’s magazines from 1976 to 2001, including Juggs, Outlaw Biker, and Leg Show, before becoming TASCHEN’s Sexy Book editor.
Reviews
"This is the same calendar available from the Tom of Finland Foundation."
"A great collection of his works from early years to the latter ones we are more familiar with."
"Great Book and worth the price."
"Possibly the greatest purchase of my entire life."
"WAY beyond what I expected."
"It's waaaaay much more bigger and heavier than i expected."
"the book its perfect just i spected to be im in love with it."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Branding & Logo Design

Logo Modernism (English, French and German Edition)
In soaring glass structures or minimalist canvases, we recognize a time of vast technological advance which affirmed the power of human beings to reshape their environment and to break, radically, from the conventions or constraints of the past. Eight designer profiles and eight instructive case studies are also included, with a detailed look at the life and work of such luminaries as Paul Rand, Yusaku Kamekura, and Anton Stankowski , and at such significant projects as Fiat, The Daiei Inc., and the Mexico Olympic Games of 1968 . Jens Müller was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1982 and studied graphic design in Düsseldorf.
Reviews
"Beautiful book."
"This is the mother of all logo design books."
"Great book - a gift for my artist daughter, and she loves it."
"For trendy flashy alternatives go for the taschen Logo books ( three so far)."
"Very very good book!"
"Lots of info, and do dads."
"it's just a great book !"
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Best Fashion Designers

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen. "For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on. "The catalog—with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who won’t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer. The most radical designs of his career are presented here, with critical analysis perfect for any arts or fashion library. "The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum's Alexander McQueen retrospective has proven so popular that the exhibit has been extended until August 7. But if that still isn't enough time for you to get down to see it, the next best thing to a New York City jaunt is the definitive monograph, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. ".
Reviews
"I was not really familiar with Alexander McQueen but I have heard his name mentioned in the fashion world and when I saw this book I was curious so I bought it."
"High quality binding with a fun visual on the cover."
"Great coffee table book!"
"If you are interested in McQueen revolutionary work this book is for you."
"This really is a book about the art and not a biography as some have criticized it for lacking keep that in mind."
"This book is a wonderful, beautiful collection of photographs and quotes that celebrate this genius and artist."
"This book is a beautifully put together compilation or MANY (not all) of his brilliant clothes from his first collection up until the posthumous Angels and Demons."
Find Best Price at Amazon
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