I like his work that I've seen, but that's highway robbery, given that that price tag wasn't a typo. Some of his other stuff is ~$100-200 which still seems kind of pricey but I would almost consider it worth it even despite that a lot of it will eventually be available different places online for free. I am interested to know if what I've seen of his previous stuff is basically the entirety of the books, if there's exclusive stuff in there then I would be interested in looking into some of the other books. People are gonna say its art and its priceless and blah blah...I don't think any book should cost that much. Like I just don't understand how it sells at that price tag

^ Then don't buy it.

No book is worth $1000.  I hope that's a typo. 

1 hour ago, Grievous said:

No book is worth $1000.  I hope that's a typo. 

 

No typo!

And this is only the pre-order price.

 

 

COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOOK

Russell James’ newest masterpiece is truly a collector’s piece, and arrives in a unique 2-piece linen-wrapped slipcase.

Edition of 1,000
Limited to only 1,000 copies, each is numbered and signed by Russell James.
$1,500 Pre-publication price if ordered before November 30, 2018, unless otherwise sold out. ($1,800 after December 1, 2018)

• Hardcover, clothbound
• Linen-wrapped slipcase
• 13 x 18 in.
• 448 pages

That's absolutely ridiculous. 

Yeah, how about just look at digital images on the net for free...😧

 

He's an astonishingly boring photographer (mainly black and white).  David Bellamere's work with VS was the best, but he's a persona non grata now.. 

It's not ridiculous, this is a book that took four years of hard work to make and that includes pictures of probably every relevant model from this decade, so far all the pictures we've seen are new and there will only be 1,000 copies of this book. I think it's a fair price if you are someone who is passionate about photography or someone who is actually in the fashion industry. Most of us just want to see pictures of X or Y girl, hence why paying $1500 would be frankly, quite stupid. But I don't think Russell made this book thinking OMG the folks at bellazon will love this!! I wouldn't be surprised if we actually never get to see the inside of this book considering the price and limited amount of copies.

 

The price is totally insane but I'm literally gonna have to fight myself from not buying this. One head starts working when I see the price tag and the other head takes over when I see that cover lol. What I'm scared of is it just rehashing his old content. A lot of people were angry with the 2014 ANGELS copy because apparently HALF of it was material that was in his earlier books.

The price would be fair if it were all new photos, but with Russell's work, it means that we've probably seen a lot of those photos already.

 

Sad thing is that because it's so pricey, there is very little chance that someone will leak out the scans.

It's ridiculous to even consider spending $1000 on a book. 

Instastories.

Martha Hunt's stories.

I bet it's going to be a fantastic job with no previous material but even Helmut Newton's book wasn't so expensive. Russel and the publishing company are going to fork 1.5-1.8 million dollars (minus expenses) out of this in time shorter than any other book. Obviously,  they are aiming for high-wallet customers and that makes me totally uninterested. I would prefer to see the canceled book with Candice Around the House.

 

15 hours ago, Clauds said:

I wouldn't be surprised if we actually never get to see the inside of this book considering the price and limited amount of copies.

Has anyone out there seen the complete group of pictures from 2003's Victoria's Secret Backstage Sexy book? I doubt, same will happen with this one.

Angels book is an elite product for an elite audience, I see nothing wrong with the price tag.

The thing I don't approve, when I look at Candice's photo, is the strategic obscuring of pelvic area. If I buy an elitarian book about artistic nudity, I expect to see artistic choices, not politically correct ones.

I know that at some point a line must be drawn, but a conception that sees "non acceptable" full nudity seems a big contradiction to me, when we talk about artistic nudity. I know that this is a diffuse (albeit non-universal, of course) conception, but again, I don't think a high-profile work like this one should submit to these boundaries, which limit the creative freedom to the extent that nude photos can't show... Nudity.  

By the way, just to be clear, of course the model may not be willing to pose and she has all the rights to refuse full nudity, that's not the point of the discussion.

43 minutes ago, Tonchan said:

Angels book is an elite product for an elite audience, I see nothing wrong with the price tag.

The thing I don't approve, when I look at Candice's photo, is the strategic obscuring of pelvic area. If I buy an elitarian book about artistic nudity, I expect to see artistic choices, not politically correct ones.

I know that at some point a line must be drawn, but a conception that sees "non acceptable" full nudity seems a big contradiction to me, when we talk about artistic nudity. I know that this is a diffuse (albeit non-universal, of course) conception, but again, I don't think a high-profile work like this one should submit to these boundaries, which limit the creative freedom to the extent that nude photos can't show... Nudity.  

By the way, just to be clear, of course the model may not be willing to pose and she has all the rights to refuse full nudity, that's not the point of the discussion.

 

Pretty sure there will be nudity inside, but I can fully understand why the cover is more tamed. IIRC his previous book also had nudity but the cover was a covered picture, I'm sure there will be better pictures inside in this case as well

 

2 hours ago, saber said:

I bet it's going to be a fantastic job with no previous material but even Helmut Newton's book wasn't so expensive. Russel and the publishing company are going to fork 1.5-1.8 million dollars (minus expenses) out of this in time shorter than any other book. Obviously,  they are aiming for high-wallet customers and that makes me totally uninterested. I would prefer to see the canceled book with Candice Around the House.

 

Has anyone out there seen the complete group of pictures from 2003's Victoria's Secret Backstage Sexy book? I doubt, same will happen with this one.

 

Nope, we haven't and since that was 15 years ago, it's safe to say we (sadly) never will, I'm pretty sure the same will happen with this book because I don't see any casual fan paying the $1500, shame because the pictures look amazing and we've been teased about this book for four years but oh well, can't have it all. 

29 minutes ago, Clauds said:

 

Pretty sure there will be nudity inside, but I can fully understand why the cover is more tamed. IIRC his previous book also had nudity but the cover was a covered picture, I'm sure there will be better pictures inside in this case as well

I'm more than happy to have made a wrong assumption then.

Go to your local Barnes and Noble and you will see plenty of these big coffee table like books filled with models at $70, $100.    I bet you the contents inside are much better.  This probably only appeals to true fans of the photographer- apparently there are some that exist.

 

 

I buy lots of books myself and I will pay for quality of content, but not for a rare collector's item of mediocre content (that will most likely depreciate in value. )  High quality books with rare information will often be bidded up to 1,000 on Amazon from their original publisher price of $60, $70.  Not sure if a photobook would qualify as "rare information".

Too much discussion about a book that none of us will buy anyways.

The only insane thing here is people wanting to put price on the work of a person's life. That's why art is so unappreciated these days 

Will there be any launch event? I've been kind of lost in the last few days with the information. If you do, I hope she goes!

3 hours ago, angelcandicebra said:

Will there be any launch event? I've been kind of lost in the last few days with the information. If you do, I hope she goes!

 

Russel James' newsletter:

 

"The art exhibition and limited edition book will preview in New York to a private audience on September 6, exactly four years (almost to the day) from the launch of Angels (2014).
Cindy Crawford and Candice Swanepoel are co-hosting the launch, and I could think of nobody better to explain this endeavor than Cindy, who not only appears in the book but also wrote the foreword as to why the nude matters so much. "