Exclusive works of art

There is much that can be said about the Limited Editions that are on our shelves – they come in all kinds of different print runs and can have a variety of extraordinary features. The retrospective of David Bailey’s work is one of those books that can easily be placed in the category: exclusive like a piece of art. MENDO’s Daan explains: ‘David Bailey’s book has the same size as the famous Annie Leibovitz book that so many have browsed in our Berenstraat store. It’s also published by Taschen and is available at the same price, but it is much more exclusive due to the fact that there are only 3,000 signed copies available.’

Diving deeper into the world of limited edition books, Daan tells us that there are roughly three types, which have a close connection with the three types of customers that are interested in these collector’s editions. ‘The first type of books are made for lovers of specific photographers,’ he explains. ‘For instance: I really like the work of Albert Watson. I like to show his book to customers in our store. His work is somewhat more modest than the Annie Leibovitz Limited and yet he has shot many important images, like the portrait of Hitchcock holding a goose. Anyways: every once in a while, someone buys this book, because they really appreciate Watson’s work. That is Limited Edition type 1: a signed and exclusive (retrospective) book that people buy because they really like the creator.’

The second type of book is close to the first type that Daan mentioned. He continues: ‘most Limiteds are quite large – that is one of the reasons these books are so exclusive. The cover is made with the only best materials and has special features, like the bulging breasts of Naomi Campbell, the furry cover of Albert Watson’s Kaos or the calfskin cover of Rijks. Oftentimes the paper quality of Limited Editions is also top notch and the prints are similarly extraordinary.’ These Limited Editions are so large, they would cover a whole coffee table and would not fit on a regular bookshelf. And so they often come with special bookstand.

‘Like Taschen’s Annie Leibovitz book, the recently arrived Limited by David Bailey comes on a white bookstand, designed by Marc Newson,’ says Daan. That’s where Limited Edition type 2 comes in: ‘people who are looking for a piece of art when they restyle their homes, cannot find anything better than a unique book on an equally unique bookstand. There are some Limited Editions, like the David Hockney book, the book on Sinatra or the book that celebrates the work of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, that are made to take an interior design to the next level.’

But there is more to it than just the use of pristine materials and print run numbers: in general, Limited Editions are also more exclusive because they fall in their own price range. That’s where Limited Edition type 3 comes in, says Daan: ‘books that are made and sold as investments’. As most exclusive things, Limited Editions can be worth more money as time progresses. ‘That is also a reason that people like Limited Editions,’ says Daan: ‘so that books can be sold with a profit later on in time.’

And there are many books that indeed are worth multiples of the price they were sold for at MENDO, says Daan: ‘I can recall that Roy once told me that we used to sell the Helmut Newton Limited Edition for €1,250. That book is now being sold online for over €10,000. Also, there are other factors why a book can be worth more money. For instance, the price of the David Bowie and Muhammad Ali books significantly went up after the Bowie and Ali passed away.’

According to Daan, there are still some books on sale that would make perfect investments. ‘The Ferrari book, for instance, is made for collectors and investors. There are only 1947 copies available, marking the year Ferrari was founded. The first 100 copies are extra special, as they’re not only signed by Ferrari’s CEO, but also by the heir grandson.’

One way or another, whether they are bought as investments, meant for decoration or made for die-hard fans, there’s one thing we know for sure: Limited Editions are special like works of art.