Coffee table books are often seen as a pretense, a way of buying more cultural currency or pretending to be more sophisticated.
Most of them sit around unopened, unloved. But, whatever we might think of them, some coffee table books are artefacts that have a great deal of cultural and historical significance. For that reason they often have a high price tag, as you will see from the list below…
Before They Pass Away by Jimmy Nelson
Before they Pass Away by Jimmy Nelson – 4 Ridiculously Expensive and Amazing Coffee Table Books by Ms Career Girl
Jimmy Nelson has created what might be a swansong to the rarest and most endangered tribes left on earth. In the stunning collectors edition, you’ll find images of extraordinary beauty that capture cultures and traditions on the brink of extinction from Mongolia to Kenya. These insightful portraits are likely to become an important historical record for generations to come. The book comes with three original signed prints and there are only 500 copies in existence. Prices range from £5000-55000 and you can find this limited edition teNeues publication in the House of Rokoko range of coffee table books.
Sumo by Annie Liebovitz
Sumo by Annie Liebovitz - 4 Ridiculously Expensive and Amazing Coffee Table Books by Ms Career Girl
Marilyn & Me by Lawrence Schiller – 4 Ridiculously Expensive and Amazing Coffee Table Books by Ms Career Girl
Following on from the tradition of set by Helmut Newton’s S.U.M.O published in 1999 by Taschen and costing $10,000, famous photographer Annie Liebovitz drew from over 40 years’ worth of work to create this tome of over 250 images. The collection features iconic photos of the most famous and influential characters in recent history and is bookended by shots of Nixon’s helicopter taking off from the White House after his resignation and the 2007 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Only 10,000 copies were printed and it’s available in four different dust jackets with iconic images of Keith Haring, Whoopi Goldberg, David Byrne and Patti Smith.
Marilyn & Me by Lawrence Schiller
Marilyn & Me by Lawrence Schiller – 4 Ridiculously Expensive and Amazing Coffee Table Books by Ms Career Girl
The $2,000 edition of Lawrence Schiller’s Marilyn & Me is one of only 125 in existence and comes signed by the photographer himself and a gelatin silver print from the famous swimming pool scene in Something’s Got To Give. The book tells the story of Schiller’s brief connection with the legendary actress before her untimely death and includes many never before seen photographs, which capture Marilyn’s vitality and beauty as well as transporting the reader back to the ‘60s.
Gaia by Guy Laliberte
GAIA by Guy Laliberte 4 Ridiculously Expensive and Amazing Coffee Table Books by Ms Career Girl
Part of Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, a range of special edition and pricey coffee table books, Gaia is Guy Laliberte’s tribute to Mother Earth. Founder of Cirque du Soleil, Laliberte spent eleven days on the International Space Station taking photographs of the globe from 220 miles away. The breathtaking images, with their colors and textures, were an attempt at raising awareness (what he called a “poetic social mission”) of the water issues facing humanity today. Compared to the rest of the list, it’s also relatively cheap at $875.
Are you a fan of coffee table books yourself? Which one is your favorite? Share it with us in the comments below or tweets us @mscareergirl!
