The Wall Street Journal has a story about high-end specialty publishers selling limited-edition books with prices up to $75,000. Brett Ratner, the director of Rush Hour and X-Men 3, loves these things. And he's widely known as a consummate aesthete with discerning taste.
A book about the installation artist Christo is designed by the artist and comes with a 1965 lithograph. A book about Muhammad Ali comes with rare autographed photos. A very limited run of a book about the Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar is printed with ink made from Tendulkar's blood, for some reason. A book about the lunar landing comes with a piece of the moon.
So what other exciting limited editions can we expect? Most of these deluxe books are only for small-run, specialty titles, but my heart begins to beat faster as I imagine the tantalizing possibilities of super-fancy runs of mainstream bestsellers. For just one year's salary, you could have:
1. A limited edition of Bret Easton Ellis's Imperial Bedrooms, with a brick of commemorative cocaine. Order up some hookers and some chainsaws, and party like it's 1985!
2. A special version of Andrew Young's John Edwards tell-all, The Politician, with a rare vial of Edwards's DNA. Now you can establish the Senator's paternity in the comfort of your home!
3. Glenn Beck's The Overton Window, numbered, autographed, and soaked in a vat of the author's tears.
4. A limited edition of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight: New Moon, bound in skin from Taylor Lautner's waxed, shirtless chest. You should have read that contract more carefully, Taylor!
5. Justin Halpern's Sh*t My Dad Says, made from Halpern's father's actual shit.
6. Tucker Max's Assholes Finish First, printed with a special ink made from a pint of the author's smug sense of self-satisfaction. Fun fact: it smells kind of like Axe body spray.
A book about the installation artist Christo is designed by the artist and comes with a 1965 lithograph. A book about Muhammad Ali comes with rare autographed photos. A very limited run of a book about the Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar is printed with ink made from Tendulkar's blood, for some reason. A book about the lunar landing comes with a piece of the moon.
So what other exciting limited editions can we expect? Most of these deluxe books are only for small-run, specialty titles, but my heart begins to beat faster as I imagine the tantalizing possibilities of super-fancy runs of mainstream bestsellers. For just one year's salary, you could have:
1. A limited edition of Bret Easton Ellis's Imperial Bedrooms, with a brick of commemorative cocaine. Order up some hookers and some chainsaws, and party like it's 1985!
2. A special version of Andrew Young's John Edwards tell-all, The Politician, with a rare vial of Edwards's DNA. Now you can establish the Senator's paternity in the comfort of your home!
3. Glenn Beck's The Overton Window, numbered, autographed, and soaked in a vat of the author's tears.
4. A limited edition of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight: New Moon, bound in skin from Taylor Lautner's waxed, shirtless chest. You should have read that contract more carefully, Taylor!
5. Justin Halpern's Sh*t My Dad Says, made from Halpern's father's actual shit.
6. Tucker Max's Assholes Finish First, printed with a special ink made from a pint of the author's smug sense of self-satisfaction. Fun fact: it smells kind of like Axe body spray.
That's all I have to say about that list.
