Customer Reviews

Piranesi (TASCHEN Icons Series)

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It always pains me to write a negative review of something. I imagine it is so with most, as buying an item that falls below your expectation is never a good experience. Here, it is doubly so, as books of this type are very dear to me, and I am a big fan of Taschen, both as a publisher of works that would otherwise never see printing again as well as the great quality of many of their books. However, even the best have flaws and Taschen can miss the mark, as they have here.

My main complaints are that the quality of the paper is quite low, the printing is not that great( the books also smell terribly of chemicals ), and for a subject such as this, exquisitely detailed engravings by an undisputed Master, most are far too small and thus, loss of detail is inevitable.

If you are interested enough in such things as antique engravings, and particularly so the fine works of Piranesi, you are likely a serious collector of books. Therefore, the price of a superior edition may not seem terrible. That edition is Piranesi: The Complete Etchings by John Wilton-Ely and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1992, Hardcover). Amazon has it by some sellers for $400+ but you can find it cheaper with some searching ( I acquired a copy for $300, still not pennies, but for very quality books this is a good price ).

The copy I have that I review poorly here is getting donated to the local library.

Finally, I will say again, I hate writing a poor review. But, I'll counter it by saying that many of the Taschen XL series are wonderful, quality books well worth the price here at Amazon.