One of the most dangerous items to enter my house

in a very long time arrived in the mail, in a cardboard box, and was entirely free.

Click the image to see a larger version.

Oh, yes, this is trouble indeed.  A gorgeous book listing all the past Taschen collector's editions, some might see it as a study in excess, but I view it as a dreamy shopping list.

I must never let myself open this book after four in the morning, because that is when the shopping weirdness begins.

If you don't know Taschen and its wonderful books, head over to its site and begin browsing.  Few, if any, other publishers produce such consistently interesting and beautiful non-fiction volumes.

Lustworthy holiday objects: Taschen books

If you don't know the publisher Taschen, you should check them out, particularly during this season of gift giving (and getting).  They make consistently interesting, beautiful books.  I have a wall full of them. 

I'm particularly in lust right now with this book, which features the work of amazing photographer Annie Leibovitz.  Its price is crazily high, but with luck at some point Taschen will bring out a more affordable version.

When you're wondering what to get for someone special, you could do worse than checking out Taschen.




(I own no stock in Taschen, nor did they compensate me in any way for this.  I just love their books.)

My favorite art book publisher

is Taschen. These folks produce amazing books on a wide variety of subjects. I collect as many of them as I can reasonably manage--which is far from their complete catalog, given the insanely high prices of many of them.

To get a sense of their range, consider that they've produced a brilliant book on DC Comics, a fabulous volume of the complete works of Michelangelo, a fascinating book on the life and works of porn star Vanessa del Rio, and a history of the heyday of the American circus, to name but four random books from my collection.

That collection, by the way, has grown so big and generates so much interest from visitors that Gina and I are working to set up an area in my office bookshelves dedicated to Taschen.

If you're not familiar with these folks and their great books, check them out. You'll know what to ask for come next Christmas.