Who are Taschen?
Taschen is an art-book publisher founded by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany, in 1980. It became famous for one idea: beautiful, well-printed art books at prices ordinary readers can afford, alongside a small number of enormous, very expensive editions for serious collectors.
That is why the same subject can appear as a pocket hardback, a big coffee-table book and a signed edition in a custom stand.
The Taschen editions, explained
|
Edition |
What it is |
Typical price |
Collector value |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bibliotheca Universalis |
Small hardbacks, 14 x 19.5 cm, reprinting famous titles |
About €15 new |
Low. Great reading copies. |
|
Basic Art |
Short illustrated monographs on single artists, 100+ titles since 1985 |
Low |
Low. Ideal first books on an artist. |
|
40th Edition |
Anniversary reissues of popular titles at a reduced price |
About €25 new |
Low to moderate. |
|
Standard and XL hardbacks |
The full-size books, often large and heavy |
Varies by title |
Moderate once a title goes out of print. |
|
Collector's and Art Editions |
Limited, numbered, often signed, sometimes with a print or stand |
Thousands of dollars |
High. These are the true collectibles. |
To give a sense of scale: Sebastião Salgado's Genesis came out as a $70 coffee-table book, a $3,000 Collector's Edition of 2,500 copies, and a $9,000 Art Edition of 500 copies with a signed print.
Which Taschen books go up in value?
- Limited and numbered editions. Helmut Newton's SUMO (1999) was limited to 10,000 signed copies, and copy number 1 later sold at auction for over $300,000. Many Collector's Editions have risen to several times their original price.
- Out-of-print large hardbacks. When a popular big-format title stops being printed, used copies in good condition can climb in price.
- Complete, clean copies. Slipcases, dust jackets, certificates and stands all matter. A limited edition missing its slipcase is worth much less.
The small and Basic Art books rarely rise in value because they stay in print. Buy them to read and enjoy, not to resell.
Is a used Taschen book worth buying?
Yes. Taschen's print quality is the whole point of the books, and a used copy keeps every page of it for less money. Older printings are often just as well produced as new ones.
Check these before you buy:
- Sun-faded spines. Bold colours fade on shelves by a window.
- Bumped corners. Heavy books land hard when dropped.
- Stuck pages. Glossy pages that got damp can fuse together. Fan the pages gently.
- Loose binding. Very heavy books can pull away from their spines.
- Missing parts. For limited editions, ask about the slipcase, certificate and any signed print.
How to tell an older Taschen printing from a new one
Look at the copyright page. It lists the year of that printing, and Taschen reprints its best-sellers often, so a book first published years ago may carry a recent date. Older Taschen books often have ISBNs starting 978-3-8228, while newer ones usually start 978-3-8365.
Taschen books at Out of the Inkwell
Taschen's taste for the strange, the botanical and the forbidden fits our shelves perfectly. Taschen titles that have passed through our shop include:
- The occult and the curious: The Magic Book, Astrology, Plant Magick, Taschen Tarot, Seba. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, Massimo Listri. Cabinet of Curiosities
- Art and illustration: Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Works, The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel, Kay Nielsen. East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Bauhaus
- Botany and anatomy: Leonhart Fuchs. The New Herbal, Jean Marc Bourgery. Atlas of Human Anatomy and Surgery
- Film and the underground: Alfred Hitchcock: The Complete Films, Film Noir, Horror Cinema, Robert Crumb sketchbooks
Many are used copies, so stock changes often. Browse [link: Art & Illustration], [link: Cabinet of Curiosities] and [link: Forbidden Knowledge] to see what is on the shelf now. Looking for a particular Taschen title? Requests are always welcome. [link: Contact page]
Frequently asked questions
Are Taschen books worth collecting? Their signed, numbered limited editions are. The everyday editions are better bought to read, since they stay in print and rarely rise in value.
What is the most famous collectible Taschen book? Helmut Newton's SUMO (1999). Copy number 1 sold at auction for over $300,000.
What is the difference between Taschen Basic Art and the big hardbacks? Basic Art books are short, low-cost introductions to one artist. The big hardbacks are full-size, more detailed and much heavier.
Are used Taschen books good quality? Yes. Check for faded spines, bumped corners and stuck glossy pages, but a clean used copy reads exactly like new.
Do Taschen books go out of print? Yes, especially large-format titles. Out-of-print copies in good condition can become harder to find and more expensive.