I also pre-ordered one of these. My search for a reasonably-priced copy of the Works book is over. I wonder how this will impact the value of that book.
Has anyone actually sold their Works for its purported price? All I know is that every architecture student from the late '90s has a copy of it and thinks he or she is sitting on a fortune, but no one has actually cashed in. My feeling is it's more like the Billy Ripken "F*ck face" error card than it is an Honus Wagner T-206.
i sold my Works for about $450 maybe 6 or so years ago. no regrets, baby (and you'll have to take my zumthor a+u from my cold, dead hands)
i agree, just because people list them for $1500 or $2000 doesn't mean anyone actually buys them for that price. they basically just sit there on the open market, all sellers no buyers.
won - no idea about what people actually negotiate. one of the issues with the 'Works' book is that, in addition to being collectible to zumthor fans, it's also (apparently) very collectible for fans of helene binet (an artist in her own right). so, two small, niche but rabid audiences looking for the same book. i don't think this one ultimately changes its worth on the secondary market (much), but could very well be wrong.
new one seems to be a very different animal. it feels, compared to the similar 4 volume HdM set, very affordable. the publisher is the same one behind the therme vals book that came out recently, so i'm really encouraged by the probable production value. zumthor, in an article last year (the best i've ever seen him give btw) waxed poetic about this book -
Well, it looks like this has finally been published! The cover has been redesigned from what was originally shown (image linked to publisher's website:
Well, I received my set today. I may have to resume my search for a reasonably-priced copy of the Works book. I’m not entirely done looking through my set, but the copy I got has some serious quality problems regarding the printing and also ink transfer. I’ve already emailed the publisher and the book store from which it was purchased. It does contain many drawings and several of the projects covered haven’t been published elsewhere, or built, for that matter.
Gregory, you mentioned that the publisher is also the one behind the Therme Vals book. In my opinion, that book is stronger than this set.
chris t - really? and i ask that out of genuine curiosity. actually got into a minor mix-up with some folks on twitter last night about digital vs. physical copies (it was a 2G publication, which I had erroneously thought, from their website, would be released in digital form only). i love physical books too much to make the full move to pdf. they're just not the same quality, even with all the search/zoom/whatever functions.
now, if it were like a blu-ray combo pack - you get a digital copy with the physical - i'd be down for that.
I agree. I prefer physical books, but I also don’t have an ereader. For books I know I’m going to linger over I greatly prefer the tactility involved when I handle a physical book.
Gregory, I think you’re right that this new monograph will not fully deflate the prices being asked for WORKS. There’s a fair amount of content in it that’s not included in the new set, including photographs and coverage of certain unbuilt projects.
As I posted on Amazon, in spirit, this collection is similar to WORKS; however, there are some significant differences, including more color printing and the inclusion of more drawings of all types. Overall, there are fewer photographs of each project when compared to the original book. Like WORKS, the layout is minimal with an abundance of white space. There is a heavy focus on unbuilt work.
jw - part of it for me, though, is that the digital copies (BECAUSE of the limitations of the readers) simply can't reproduce the level of detail a book can, specifically drawings. it's so much harder to see an overall drawing in a reader, to understand how everything relates in one shot, because you have to zoom in to see any detail at all.
I agree with that. I also think, with books like these, that the entire book design is a statement made by the designer and that the reduced control over format may be part of the reason some designers are hesitant to have their books published digitally. In a way, to not handle a physical copy of the book is to miss part of what the designer wishes to communicate. Take this monograph, for instance. Every aspect of it, from the packaging to the paper selected for the pages, reflects the values of Peter Zumthor.
production quality issues not an issue with this set (at least).
first impressions: nowhere near the depth you get in a single project monograph. nowhere near. it's a broad overview to be sure, albeit more comprehensive than almost any other arch monograph i've seen (outside SMLXL, though this isn't aspiring to that model). great to see the new, unbuilt work. it's better, in some ways, than the herzog demeuron complete works series but lacking in some ways. it's not nearly as technical as a typical elcroquis, though the photos are better.
what it makes me really want to see: a series like this, but for all the major projects as individual volumes. smaller - maybe 80 pp each. release 3-4 per year. do a 'decade' project listing that has a thumbnail for each project, key dates, etc. as a kind of summary volume. it's something you could keep updating throughout a career - that would be way better than these periodic 'complete works' type summaries. because... ultimately, they'll be incomplete.
Apr 30, 14 3:46 pm ·
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and....do i hear 2500, 2500, 2500, 3000, 3000...
oh my. my birthday present has come early...
everyone, grab 10 each, you'll be able to fund your child's college education in a few years (once he reaches sainthood).
5 volumes, 600 pages... yeah, it's bought. (sorry about the image size - anyone can correct it if they like...)
THIS IS GONNA BE YUGE!
I also pre-ordered one of these. My search for a reasonably-priced copy of the Works book is over. I wonder how this will impact the value of that book.
ERMAHGERD! Oh lawdy I just broke myself for dat Book.
Now the loooooong wait.
'mazon dudn't charge 'til it ships so you be broke n septiembre
I'M SO EXCITED, I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!
(and thanks for the heads up, Mr. Walker!!!)
Has anyone actually sold their Works for its purported price? All I know is that every architecture student from the late '90s has a copy of it and thinks he or she is sitting on a fortune, but no one has actually cashed in. My feeling is it's more like the Billy Ripken "F*ck face" error card than it is an Honus Wagner T-206.
i sold my Works for about $450 maybe 6 or so years ago. no regrets, baby (and you'll have to take my zumthor a+u from my cold, dead hands)
i agree, just because people list them for $1500 or $2000 doesn't mean anyone actually buys them for that price. they basically just sit there on the open market, all sellers no buyers.
A couple of copies sold on eBay before Christmas for nearly $1000. I agree, between the two, the extra edition is better.
won - no idea about what people actually negotiate. one of the issues with the 'Works' book is that, in addition to being collectible to zumthor fans, it's also (apparently) very collectible for fans of helene binet (an artist in her own right). so, two small, niche but rabid audiences looking for the same book. i don't think this one ultimately changes its worth on the secondary market (much), but could very well be wrong.
new one seems to be a very different animal. it feels, compared to the similar 4 volume HdM set, very affordable. the publisher is the same one behind the therme vals book that came out recently, so i'm really encouraged by the probable production value. zumthor, in an article last year (the best i've ever seen him give btw) waxed poetic about this book -
This project [Peter Zumthor, Zink-Mine-Museum Almannajuvet, Sauda, 2003-in corso/ongoing (Peter Zumthor, Zink-Mine-Museum Almannajuvet, Sauda, 2003-in corso/ongoing (model)] from Greg's interview link looks pretty cool!
Well, it looks like this has finally been published! The cover has been redesigned from what was originally shown (image linked to publisher's website:
grabbed two for $150 a piece when they first announced, hello new car
now 14.11 lbs 800 pages i may have to re-preorder this one
drops may 15 (though they've pushed the available date back many times this past year... )
Where can I get a digital copy?
Well, I received my set today. I may have to resume my search for a reasonably-priced copy of the Works book. I’m not entirely done looking through my set, but the copy I got has some serious quality problems regarding the printing and also ink transfer. I’ve already emailed the publisher and the book store from which it was purchased. It does contain many drawings and several of the projects covered haven’t been published elsewhere, or built, for that matter.
Gregory, you mentioned that the publisher is also the one behind the Therme Vals book. In my opinion, that book is stronger than this set.
Amazing architect; poetic in his buildings as well.
jw - yikes. not what i'd want to hear. i've got another month before it's released here - let's hope they can figure that out quickly.
yes, it is the same team that did the vals book (author, publisher). and, yes, i'd really hope it hits the same quality marks on this one.
I heard back from the publisher. I got a defective copy and will be sent a replacement.
Amazon just sent out an update and US copies will arrive May 5-9.
digital copy please.
chris t - really? and i ask that out of genuine curiosity. actually got into a minor mix-up with some folks on twitter last night about digital vs. physical copies (it was a 2G publication, which I had erroneously thought, from their website, would be released in digital form only). i love physical books too much to make the full move to pdf. they're just not the same quality, even with all the search/zoom/whatever functions.
now, if it were like a blu-ray combo pack - you get a digital copy with the physical - i'd be down for that.
I agree. I prefer physical books, but I also don’t have an ereader. For books I know I’m going to linger over I greatly prefer the tactility involved when I handle a physical book.
Gregory, I think you’re right that this new monograph will not fully deflate the prices being asked for WORKS. There’s a fair amount of content in it that’s not included in the new set, including photographs and coverage of certain unbuilt projects.
As I posted on Amazon, in spirit, this collection is similar to WORKS; however, there are some significant differences, including more color printing and the inclusion of more drawings of all types. Overall, there are fewer photographs of each project when compared to the original book. Like WORKS, the layout is minimal with an abundance of white space. There is a heavy focus on unbuilt work.
jw - part of it for me, though, is that the digital copies (BECAUSE of the limitations of the readers) simply can't reproduce the level of detail a book can, specifically drawings. it's so much harder to see an overall drawing in a reader, to understand how everything relates in one shot, because you have to zoom in to see any detail at all.
I agree with that. I also think, with books like these, that the entire book design is a statement made by the designer and that the reduced control over format may be part of the reason some designers are hesitant to have their books published digitally. In a way, to not handle a physical copy of the book is to miss part of what the designer wishes to communicate. Take this monograph, for instance. Every aspect of it, from the packaging to the paper selected for the pages, reflects the values of Peter Zumthor.
set just arrived. oh my. oh my, oh my, oh my.
production quality issues not an issue with this set (at least).
first impressions: nowhere near the depth you get in a single project monograph. nowhere near. it's a broad overview to be sure, albeit more comprehensive than almost any other arch monograph i've seen (outside SMLXL, though this isn't aspiring to that model). great to see the new, unbuilt work. it's better, in some ways, than the herzog demeuron complete works series but lacking in some ways. it's not nearly as technical as a typical elcroquis, though the photos are better.
what it makes me really want to see: a series like this, but for all the major projects as individual volumes. smaller - maybe 80 pp each. release 3-4 per year. do a 'decade' project listing that has a thumbnail for each project, key dates, etc. as a kind of summary volume. it's something you could keep updating throughout a career - that would be way better than these periodic 'complete works' type summaries. because... ultimately, they'll be incomplete.
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