Andy Warhol's Interview (7 Volume Set) (Vol 1) [Hardcover]

Andy Warhol (Author), Jeff Koons (Author), Sandy Brant (Editor), Ingrid Sischy (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2008

Founded by Andy Warhol and Gerard Malanga in 1969, and celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2009, Interview magazine has developed from the newsletter of the Studio 54 set into the definitive guide to the stars of today and tomorrow. Interview's brilliant conception was to invite celebrities who might be fans of one another's work to interview each other, eliciting often intimate and revelatory results. Alongside these interviews are photographs by the cream of celebrity and fashion photography--Robert Mapplethorpe, Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, Ara Gallant, Peter Beard, Bruce Weber, Perry Berenson and others--who are given the opportunity to make some of their most challenging and original work. For 40 years, Interview has offered a fresh perspective on the sexy, fascinating and funny people who shape popular culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Andy Warhol's Interview magazine celebrates its 35th anniversary with this spectacular seven-volume retrospective of its first decade. It's a massive, definitive reference that cuts a wide swath through '70s pop culture with vibrant and energetic interviews and photos. It also has the visceral impact of an objet d'art (the books are housed in a Karl Lagerfeld–designed crate with wheels and a retractable handle). The selected interviews and photos from the first decade have not been reset or resized; each 12"×15" volume offers exact reprints of the magazine's original pages (including spelling errors and original ads).Each volume is a treasure trove of sparkling, uninhibited and entertaining chats with icons on the rise (Bette Midler, Jack Nicholson, Lily Tomlin), underground favorites (John Waters, Holly Woodlawn, Mary Woronov), living legends (Bette Davis, Butterfly McQueen, Gloria Swanson) and those who defined the '70s (Rona Barrett, Halston, Calvin Klein). The Covers (which runs 160 pages) reproduces every cover from Interview's first decade in full color. The Pictures (276 pages) features photo shoots by Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, Francesco Scavullo and others. The Interviews (348 pages) offers 123 profiles, including ones of Muhammad Ali, the Andrews Sisters, Gore Vidal, the Talking Heads and Tennessee Williams. The Andy Warhol Interviews (320 pages) are 77 interviews conducted by Warhol, with such personalities as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Sophia Loren, and Michael Jackson. The Fashion (172 pages) chats with designers like Versace, Edith Head and Yves Saint Laurent. The Directors (148 pages) includes portraits of 45 directors ranging from Cukor, Hitchcock and Capra to the younger generation of Wertmuller, Spielberg and Altman. The final volume is The Back of the Book, a slim (64 pages) collection of Fran Lebowitz's "I Cover the Waterfront" columns.What makes Interview's conversations unique is their free-for-all spirit. Warhol brought friends to interviews and taped the marathon session. Transcripts include interruptions for ordering food and drop-by celebrity appearances. Sometimes even the interviewers shine: a star-struck Angelica Huston interviews Mae West; 12-year-old Tatum O'Neal visits Seventh Avenue designers; and Anthony Perkins meets his future wife, Berry Berenson, when she interviews him. The vastness of this undertaking is matched by the pleasures found on every page.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 996 pages
• Publisher: Steidl (October 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3865210236
• ISBN-13: 978-3865210234
• Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 23.3 x 17.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 57.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,405,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Books - 5 Stars, Binding and Price - 3 Stars, January 24, 2005

By 

Queequeg (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Andy Warhol's Interview (7 Volume Set) (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

The information reproduced in these volumes is truly impressive. The 7 books and two slip-cased magazines are a terrific testament to Paul Morrissey, Warhol, and everyone else who worked on the first decade of Inter/View magazine.

The boxed set is packaged expertly, with the books boxed separately from the rough, unfinished plywood "Karl Lagerfeld-designed crate."

The books truly are a treasure of 1970's glamour and kitsch. Each selected article and cover are faithfully reproduced, complete with age-yellowed newsprint and the occasional "Sample Only Please Subscribe" stamped on the page long ago. If it were for content alone, I would give this collection 5 STARS.

That being said, even as a "limited edition of 2000" the $475 price is a bit steep. The Amazon price of $299 is better, but $199 would have been more appropriate.

The description published here and elsewhere is misleading. I suspect they changed the box and bindings before publication to cut back on costs and neglected to send out a new press release with an updated product description.

When I opened the boxes, the books did not match the published product description at all. The "Karl Lagerfeld-designed crate" is rough, unfinished plain yellow painted plywood (not the box with the color photo of Andy in the Santa hat seen above). The books were not uniquely bound in various materials (cloth, plastic, metallic material, etc., as in the description). Each book is bound in the same red, black, and white printed cardboard covers. Also, no Audio CD was included with book 3.

I was concerned that there may have been two additions, so I emailed the publisher. They were very kind and quick to respond:

"I'm very sorry to hear that you did not get what you expected. What you received however is the one and only result of the long working process we had with Interview magazine. If you are not satisfied with it at all I would send it back to Amazon."

If you are at all interested in Warhol, the Factory, or this period, the set is a brilliant edition to any library... just be prepared to be a little disappointed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars False Advertising, February 3, 2005

By 

Collector (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Andy Warhol's Interview (7 Volume Set) (Vol 1) (Hardcover)

As the previous reviewer noted, there's a huge discrepancy between the description and the actual product. I was at first worried and then, when I learned the truth, disappointed to find that the product I'd recieved was much less than promised. Amazon and the publisher should correct the descriptions immediately. And the price should be adjusted (downwards) to match the actual contents.