Official book collectors thread

That's weird.
Must have just happened over the last 24 hours.

 

Anyone get the Taschen publication "ultimate collector cars " Am thinking of ordering it but would love to get some feedback, good or bad. Its not the cheapest of books. Thanks.

 

Set of 'coffee table' books. May impress uninformed visitors to your house. Other than that, just another commercial project.

 

Are all books not commercial projects.? I have over 100 books and I paid for everyone of them !!! I love my cars and if the photography and content were good than I would purchase it. What I was asking was if someone had bought it than what did they think of it.

 

I've seen the books and did not like them. To me they're just a set of pretty pictures. But by all means, if you like them just buy them. Still, there is difference between a labour of love (for which one should also pay), and a pure commercial project. To me these Taschen books fall in the latter bracket.

 

Thanks for your opinion. Obviously with covid I can't get to see the book before I order and I thought that with 100 high end cars it would tick a lot of boxes if ghe photography and content were "high end".

 

Maybe wait a little and then check it out in a book store.

 

We are on our 4th covid wave here so could be a while until book shops open again and I was worried the book would be sold out with online sales. I was just hoping to get a few opinions to help me make my mind up. I bought the 312P and ROFGO Collection books online and was very happy with them.

 

Please do not worry about the books being sold out. With a first printing of 10.000 copies, you’ll be able to get one long after we left covid behind us. Rofgo and 312P are much better quality, btw.

 

Yes, they’re published by specialty houses who really know their subjects and their readers.

 

I'm not sure why the responses to an entirely reasonable question seem to be somewhat hostile. I have a couple of Taschen books (on non-motoring subjects) and they're pretty good and nicely produced. I haven't seen a copy of Ultimate Collector Cars to give any informed comment on it one way or another but I'm sure bloomberg is right that it won't be hard to get a copy with the number they're printing. I'm confident it will look very nice because Taschen books usually do and the sample pages suggest it will. I also note the recommended price is £200 but the cheapest I've found (Speedyhen - no affiliation other than as a customer in the past) have it at £116. So, well worth shopping around if you do want a copy.

I would certainly have bought a copy of their Ferrari book (written by Pino Allievi, author of a number of other books I own) if I could have had just the book at a sensible price without the stand.

Taschen are a speciality publisher, aren't they? But their speciality is design rather than motoring.

 

All Taschen books look nice, that’s not the problem. Some of their publications are outstanding, well researched, etc. I just do not appreciate this particular set of books. With so much choice, there are better options out there. That’s all.

 

Did many of you hard core book guys (like me ) buy the Taschen Ferrari book?

I didn't, primarily due to the exorbitant cost, and also due to the size of the bloody thing.

Plus I don't really think it's very collectable. I went to their website the other day and they still have it in stock in standard format years later.

https://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/photography/all/66921/facts.ferrari.htm

 

I've seen the book in one of the Taschen shops. I do not wish to be unkind to anyone, but this is not the kind of book, heirloom, or whatever you call it, that I would buy. To me it perfectly fits in the current 'bling' culture: lots of show, and very little go!

 

I have the book including the massive stand etc.
Not worth the money but I had to have it anyway.

Marcel Massini

 

I take it you bought the Opus as well.

 

Yes.

Marcel Massini

 

Thoughts between them both.
If you had to own only one?

 

1. Thoughts? Two more unnecessary items to dust off regularly.
2. Cannot comment as I have never been faced with that problem.

Marcel Massini

 

With that point we can definitely agree on !!

 

I ordered a copy of this which arrived today. It is pretty much "just another general book of photos". I have only flicked through so far and there are some nice, but largely well known, pictures. Only a handful of paragraphs on each car and even then some, like 312 T, T2, T3, T4 are lumped together. So, it is really another one that goes in the pile of for your young nephew for Christmas who is quite interested in the subject but doesn't really know much yet.

 

Meanwhile Porter Press charges your credit card for GBP 482 instantly (the day you order) and well in advance, two months before their book actually comes out. I find this a bit "unusual", to put it mildly.
Not that I really care about this amount but do they really have to raise cash to complete a book and print it? I find this a rather interesting business model.
After all this is about a simple book only and a small amount of money, not something like a tailor made genuine Ferrari that costs 500 Grand or more and takes 18 to 24 months to build.

Marcel Massini

 

I had an almost identical experience a little over a week ago when I placed an order for the yet to be released Joseph Figoni Vol. title on Alfa Romeo, which will not be available until early July (over 2 months from when I paid). To order it from either the publisher or the assigned exclusive dealer, I had to pay in full up front, no choice. I generally don't pay in full - in advance for anything unless it's being custom made for me. Deposits are fine & understood and a non-issue. Some companies in the past would give/offer free shipping, or a discount of sorts, to anyone willing to pay in full in advance for an item that was in the works but not yet ready for delivery, but that is not the case here. It certainly is not the way I do business, and I don't make my clients go through this, but I guess for some things you just have to bite the bullet and accept this odd and unfriendly way of doing business. And frankly, there is never a guarantee of delivery. So, from a customer service standpoint, it is just not good.

 

I agree, it is a bad business practice. But we are often afraid of being too late to order. Usually (the Miura book was an exception) books do not sell out that fast.

 

Yes, I was going to wait until the book was available, but was told that they were only printing 600 books, and that 400 had already been sold.... so...exactly as you wrote, I was afraid of being too late, or having to pay a big premium.