Book Club: The Unattainables

The only thing I collect (with the exception of shoes, obvs) is books. My book collection is my life. If there was ever a fire in my apartment I would probably die trying to rescue my Helmut Newton books and back issues of Self Service. The only real downside to collecting fashion photography books (aside from my inevitable smoke inhalation death) is discovering a completely essential book that I just can't afford. Below are four books that have been taunting me for years:

November Girl by Sam Haskins ($250-$1,000)
I am a big Sam Haskins fan and this book is tragically missing from my collection. I regurally swing by Kiki de Montparnasse to fondle one of their overpriced copies.




Birds of Britain by John Green ($200-$821)
Kiki de Montparnasse also has Birds of Britain, which is basically a collection of portraits of every British "it" girl from the sixties. Charlotte Rampling, Marianne Faithfull, and Jane Birkin all make appearances. The portrait of actress Alexandra Bastedo later became the cover of The Smiths album Rank.






Twen: Revision einer Legende ($241-$950)
Twen was an incredibly forward-thinking German fashion & lifestyle magazine which featured the work of Sam Haskins, David Hamilton, William Klien and other sixties luminaries. Graphic designers regard it as the Holy Grail of magazine design, which is probably why this book is so expensive. When the design people and the fashion people want the same rare out-of-print book everyone gets totally screwed.





Sumo by Helmut Newton ($11,000-$25,000)
The fact that this book exists and I can't afford it kind of feels like god is slapping me in the face. That's all.