Антологии

With the first Centerfold, who just happened to be the radiant Marilyn Monroe, Hugh Hefner masterminded a cultural icon: Playboy's Playmate of the Month. Now, for the first time ever, Playboy has gathered together every Centerfold from every issue into one luxurious collector's edition. That's over 600 beauties. We've reproduced these Centerfolds exactly as they appeared in the magazine to create a full-size, deluxe volume. Paging through this colossal, chronological collection provides a breathtaking view of our evolving appreciation of the female form: from the fifties fantasy of voluptuous blondes to the tawny beach girls of the seventies to the groomed and toned women of today. Housed in a handsome leather briefcase lined with velvet, this impressive tome is the ultimate indulgence for every passionate collector.

The beautiful woman celebrated on the following pages are the stuff dreams are made of - decades and decades of dreams. Even more remarkable, in the simple yet affirmative act of posing nude, they also became standard-bearers for a social revolution that began more than 50 years ago and continues-albeit in fits and starts - to the present day. The world has come a long way from the repression of the 1950s, but Americans still struggle at times with their sexual impulses. (Perhaps, more property, Americans still struggle at times with their neighbors' sexual impulses.) the lesson to be learned from these Centerfolds remains the same now at is was back in 1954: Good girls like sex, and there's nothing wrong with that. Thanks in no small part to its Playmates, "Playboy" continues to reflect the dreams of American men. These women are what makes the magazine special, which makes them truly special to me.

Mit dem ersten Playboy-Centerfold im Jahr 1953 - zufällig, oder auch nicht, war es der aufstrebende Weltstar Marilyn Monroe - hatte Hugh Hefner, Erfinder, Herausgeber und Verleger des Playboy, im"playmate of the month"einen Kultplatz für weibliche Aktphotographie geschaffen, um den sich in der Folge die schönsten Frauen der Welt reißen sollten und der dem Playboy als erotisches Magazin seine unverwechselbare monatliche Attraktion gab. Nun hat sich Playboy entschlossen, erstmals alle"playmate of the month"-Akte in einem einzigen Buch zusammenzustellen und, Seite für Seite, vor den Augen des Publikums aufzuschlagen: 625 farbige Aktphotos mit ebenso vielen entblößten Schönheiten, so wie sie im Playboy zu sehen waren, werden in zwei Buchvarianten vorgestellt: Das Luxusformat kommt im schwarzen Lederkoffer als limitierte Ausgabe im Originalformat des aufgeschlagenen Centerfold. Die Sammlung bleibt eine kolossale, fast in erotisches Delirium führende Feier des weiblichen Körpers und seiner Formen. Sie illustriert die kollektiven erotischen Phantasien, die Playboy-Leser - Männer wie Frauen - in den sechs Dekaden heimgesucht haben, und ihren Wandel. Zu jedem Jahrzehnt hat ein Schriftsteller oder eine Schriftstellerin von Rang einen einführenden Text geschrieben. So treffen Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Stella Stevens, Jenny McCarthy, Anna Nicole Smith, Pamela Anderson und alle anderen Schönen auf die Poetenaugen von Robert Coover, Paul Theroux, Robert Stone, Jay McInerney, Daphne Merkin und Maureen Gibbon. Das alles macht Playboy Centerfolds in seinen zwei Ausgaben zu einem kulturgeschichtlichen Dokument von besonderem Rang. Jung und Alt, Mann und Frau - alle werden begeistert sein. Auch der Sammler von Welt wird seinen schwarzen Erotik-Koffer gerne nach Hause tragen, andere wird bereits die kleine Ausgabe als Nirvana weiblicher Schönheit überwältigen.

Defining moments

In existence for over 50 years, the Polaroid Corporation’s photography collection is the greatest collection of Polaroid images in the world. Begun by Polaroid founder Edwin Land and photographer Ansel Adams, the collection now includes images by hundreds of photographers throughout the world and contains important pieces by artists such as David Hockney, Helmut Newton, Jeanloup Sieff, and Robert Rauschenberg. The Polaroid Book, a survey of this remarkable collection, pays tribute to a medium that defies the digital age and remains a favorite among artists for its quirky look and instantly gratifying, one-of-a-kind images.
 
• over 400 works from the Polaroid Collections
• essay by Polaroid’s Barbara Hitchcock illuminating the beginnings and history of the collection
• technical reference section featuring the various types of Polaroid cameras

Beginning in the 14th century and working its way through the ages up to the current day, this book examines the portrait via the most beloved and important examples in history.

Featured artists include:
Simone Martini, Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein the Younger, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Parmigianino, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, Francisco de Goya, Jaques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Oskar Kokoschka, Ferdinand Hodler, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, and Chuck Close.

About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre Series features:

* a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period
* a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a reference work, portrait of the artist, and/or citations

Includes winners at the World Press Photo Awards, 2012.

This major work presents a remarkable sequence of photo-stories from pioneering photo agency VII, documenting world history as we have experienced it since the end of the Cold War. The 11 extraordinarily talented photographers who are part of this agency work at the cutting edge of digital photojournalism, committed to recording social and cultural change as it happens around the world. Each brings an individual vision to the agency - some choosing to tackle dramatic events head-on, others pursuing more idiosyncratic, personal projects - but all share a commitment to their individual subjects and to their belief that the act of communication provides hope even in the most extreme situations. 

Questions Without Answers is an ambitious book featuring a strikingly broad selection of photo stories. Photos documenting Barack Obama giving a speech on Afghanistan to American troops sit alongside a collection of portraits featuring famous cultural figures such as David Bowie and Bernardo Bertolucci. We move from an exploration of the spread and impact of AIDS in Asia to dispatches from the current economic crisis and its effect on those working in finance. The crucial work done by VII in documenting conflict - environmental, social and political, both violent and non-violent - is also represented, including stories from the war in Iraq, the crisis in Darfur and the terrible events of 9/11. 

With an introduction by the eminent David Friend, the former director of photography at Life magazine, this book is important, moving and compelling record of the world we live in.

About the Authors:

VII derives its name from the number of founding photo-journalists who, in September 2001, formed this collectively owned agency. Designed from the outset to be an efficient, technologically advanced distribution hub for some of the world's finest photojournalism, VII has been responsible for creating and relaying to the world many of the images that define the turbulent opening years of the 21st century. 

Now made up of 23 eminent photographers - Lynsey Addario, Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Marcus Bleasdale, Stefano De Luigi, Venetia Dearden, Jessica Dimmock, Adam Ferguson, Ashley Gilbertson, Ron Haviv, Ed Kashi, Gary Knight, Antonin Kratochvil, Joachim Ladefoged, Davide Monteleone, Christopher Morris, Seamus Murphy, Maciek Nabrdalik, Franco Pagetti, Stephanie Sinclair, John Stanmeyer, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Tomas van Houtryve and Donald Weber - VII remains committed to recording, not just the battlefield, but social and cultural change worldwide. 

What unites VII's work is a sense that, in the act of communication at the very least, all is not lost; reparation is always possible; despair is never absolute. 

David Friend, former director of photography at Life magazine, is Vanity Fair's editor of creative development. A successful author and editor, he has also curated a number of important exhibitions and created the Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography.

361 illustrations in colour

Reuters is the world’s largest international news agency.
Its award-winning photographers submit some 1,500 photos a day from locations across the globe, creating an annual archive of over half a million images.

This stylish book is a compilation of 380 of the finest Reuters photographs of 2007.

Drawing upon this unparalleled resource, Our World Now documents a year in the life of our vibrant, troubled, beautiful planet. Sometimes funny, sometimes devastating, always enthralling, these photographs encompass the fantastic diversity of trends, moods and stories that have defined 2007.

• 2007 in 380 powerful photos.
• Covers the full range of news reporting – politics, commerce, conflict, the environment, accidents and disasters, faith and festivities, entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle.
• Pithy captions summarize the story behind each picture.
• Features all the year’s top stories and some surprises too.

 Reuters photojournalists submit some 1,500 photos every day, creating an annual archive of over half a million images, bearing witness to events as they happen across the globe.

Our World Now 3 draws upon this unparalleled resource to document a year in the life of our vibrant, troubled, beautiful planet.

This award-winning work pushes the boundaries of what news photography is and can be: it ranks among the finest photojournalism of our times. Sometimes funny, sometimes devastating, always compelling, the images in this book encompass the fantastic diversity of trends, moods and stories that defined 2009.

See the slideshow on

This highly successful series (over 100,000 copies sold worldwide) has become an indispensable visual record of our times.

This fifth volume captures 2011 in over 350 powerful photos covering the full range of news reporting – politics, commerce, conflict, accidents and disasters, the environment, faith and festivities, entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle. Succinct captions summarize the story behind each image.

‘Witness’ features in each chapter present powerful, in-depth photo-essays from around the world. An introduction explains in the photographers’ own words the events and approaches that lead to spectacular photojournalism.

Like the previous Our World Now volumes, this is a book that consistently packs an emotional punch: spectacular, moving, hard-hitting, at times even funny.

• This year that is certain to be remembered as hugely significant for the astounding events that unfolded in 2011.
• The Arab Spring, the Japanese tsunami, the England riots and beyond: here is a fresh take on the most memorable worldwide events, trends and stories of the year.
• Compact format, fantastic price for content.
• Packed with unforgettable images by award-winning Reuters photojournalists.

766 Illustrations in colour

Reuters photographers are there to record it all, creating many of the finest sporting images of our times. Defining moments of virtuosity, beauty, comedy, triumph and despair are captured here in over
750 brilliant photographs of the new sporting century … the dramas, the personalities and the stories behind every picture, covering over
120 sports in almost 60 countries.

An illustrated timeline summarizes the sporting highlights of each year of the 21st century.

Here too are the big themes in sport:
• What are the values of sport today?
• What does success mean in an age of commercial sponsorship and celebrity?
• With advances in technology and performance-enhancing drugs, what is fair play?

Reuters is the world’s largest international news agency.
Its sports correspondents have been reporting since 1860 and submit over 250 sports pictures every day – up to 1,000 during major events. Reuters Sport in the 21st Century features images by 250 photographers of almost 60 nationalities. Reuters is not aligned or affiliated with any country, culture or movement.

Reuters photojournalists submit some 1,500 photos a day, creating an annual archive of over half a million images. OurWorld Now 2 draws upon this unparalleled resource to document a year in the life of our vibrant, troubled, beautiful planet. Sometimes funny, sometimes devastating, always compelling, the images in this book encompass the fantastic diversity of trends, moods and stories that defined 2008.

Captures 2008 in over 350 powerful photos covering the full range of news reporting – politics, commerce, conflict, the environment, accidents and disasters, faith and festivities, entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle.

Shoot gathers over 20 photographers whose work focuses on capturing a moment rather than elaborate lighting setups or controlled, manufactured scenarios.

Employing the most basic photographic tools - a single-lens reflex camera and natural light - they must rely on their instincts and their ability to interact with a situation to create a dynamic image. This freewheeling approach reflects an era in which we are increasingly bombarded by images, and the emotional resonance of images has become an important part of our visual vocabulary.

The book documents the influence of an older generation of art photographers, such as the legendary Nan Goldin and Wolfgang Tillmans, and expands on a younger generation of photographers, including Tim Barber and J. H. Engström, to show how this style has gained traction and influence.

Chapters include:

Safe+Sound – inspirational stories of people who have come through difficult times in a positive way.

For ten years, Prix Pictet has been inviting artists to tackle multi-faceted themes on the topic of sustainability. 

During its first decade, some 4,200 photographers have presented over 28,000 images to the jury, and the public has enjoyed 92 exhibitions in 40 cities across the world. 

Each of the seven cycles has unearthed powerful images that speak to today's vast environmental, societal, and cultural challenges. Featuring work from all of the winning photographers to date-Benoit Aquin, Nadav Kander, Mitch Epstein, Luc Delahaye, Michael Schmidt, Valerie Belin, and Richard Mosse-and many of the shortlisted artists, ten is a celebration of the outstanding photography that has been showcased by the Prix Pictet over the past decade. Readers embark on a poignant visual journey through a carefully curated selection of compelling images, venturing into a world defined by our complex relationship with our environment. 

The photographs, some of which have not previously been published or exhibited by the Prix Pictet, have been grouped into twelve themes. Photojournalistic or conceptual in nature, the images are fantastically diverse and tell a powerful story of some of the most critical problems facing modern society.

A photographic tribute to one of mankind's worst habits: drinking. This is an inspiring, funny and intriguing book containing enticing photographs, original works of art, beautiful old advertisements and meaningful quotes from an array of influential people and lifestyle icons from the past two centuries.

Since the radiant years of the Renaissance, the city of Florence has come for many to represent the greatest triumph of the Western cultural tradition. This is the city where humanism was born, where Plato was discussed passionately in the narrow streets, and where men and women first found themselves to be the measure of all things. For more than three centuries Florence nurtured a creative community of astounding, even revolutionary genius. Here, starting in the late 1200s, Giotto painted the grave and powerful frescoes that drew Florence and the world toward a radical new vision of realism, and here, ushering in the dazzling era of the High Renaissance, Michelangelo began his incomparable career as architect, sculptor, and painter. During the intervening years, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo, and hundreds of the most splendidly talented artists in history lived and worked in this small city on the Arno and collaborated in the creation of the great urban museum we know as Florence.

Matching an elegant and sophisticated text by three leading art historians with hundreds of glorious color photographs, The Art of Florence immerses us in a city and a time of unparalleled cultural ferment. This important and uncommonly beautiful publication analyzes the history of Florentine art in terms of the distinctly Florentine and Tuscan influences that shaped it - an approach never before employed in a study of this breadth and complexity. The fascinating and lucid text by Glenn Andres, John Hunisak, and Richard Turner gracefully links Florentine architecture, sculpture, and painting to the rich social fabric and the dramatic political life of the city. Woven into this compelling history is the most luxurious and comprehensive visual documentation available of Florences unrivaled treasures. More than 700 color images and another 854 duotones and architectural drawings have been reproduced with a meticulous care worthy of the Renaissance craft tradition. Joining visual beauty with intellectual rigor in a fashion that truly invokes the spirit of this great city, The Art of Florence presents as rich a vision of human creativity as we can find anywhere outside Florence itself.