Luxury Photograpy Books = $$$$$

As appraisers we often come across collections of books, some old, some new, some reference related, some coffee table style. Some books are in great demand, some are not. Some older leather books are sold by the yard as decoration for instant libraries, while others could be worth a large fortune.

With that in mind, a very interesting article was published in the UK Guardian on luxury special and limited edition photography books. Many of these limited edition books initial sell for thousands of dollars, and then can later demand hundreds of thousands of dollars.

As appraiser we should be aware of these special edition photography books and the potential values which they may represent.

The Guardian article states In 1999 Benedikt Taschen published Sumo, a retrospective of iconic photographer Helmut Newton. The monograph, complete with a Philippe Starck display stand, was the largest book produced in the 20th century. Measuring in at 50cm by 70cm, the German publisher had to call upon the Vatican's bible binder to help make it. The 10,000 copies sold at a staggering £6,000 each, while the first of the limited run, signed by 80 of the celebrities shot by Newton, later sold at auction for $430,000. Now, copies of Sumo often pop up on eBay – one recently sold for $15,000. Titanic stuff, but it doesn't end there.

The article continues, Any photography book, even with fairly standard reproduction, is going to cost far more than a book that is text-only. And the printing only accounts for a small percentage of the sale price. It's incredibly expensive to produce beautiful books in large quantities; if you can shift a few hundred copies it's considered good business. But, as in the case of the art market (or rather, those who can afford to buy art), there appears to be an enduring demand for extravagance, a desire to own the most in-demand relics of their favourite artist.

It is this very notion that Taschen works with – the idea that books can themselves become their own pieces of highly sought-after art. "The making of the titles is a collaboration with the artists," the publisher explains. "Their ideas are at the centre of the work and they are involved all the way through the process, making the books original, personal and desirable – like great art should be. Why shouldn't an art book be something to be revered?"

To read the Guardian article, click HERE.