Precious [Hardcover]

Melanie Dunea (Author), Nigel Parry (Photographer), Pentagram (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

“What is the most precious part of your body?”

What started as an idle thought between celebrity photographer couple Melanie Dunea and Nigel Parry quickly developed into a serious metaphysical investigation using today’s most captivating personalities. The resulting photographs, accompanied by a quote from each celebrity explaining their choice of body part, reveals the subjects' personalities through their choice, their own words, and Dunea and Parry’s eloquent images.

Precious features: Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rosie O’Donnell, Johnny Depp, Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, John Leguizamo, Mary-Louise Parker, Gloria Estefan, Juliette Lewis, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tommy Hilfiger, Bruce Willis, Eric McCormack, Ellen DeGeneres, Pierce Brosnan, Stanley Tucci, Meg Ryan, Chloë Sevigny, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hawk, Kiefer Sutherland, Illeana Douglas, Alan Cumming, Mariska Hargitay, Mickey Rourke, Lukas Haas, Diane von Furstenberg, Gia Carides, Jeri Ryan, Jackie Mason, Alessandro Nivola, Miranda Otto, Lisa Marie, Erica Jong, Paloma Picasso, Mark Feuerstein, Audrey Quock, Laura Elena Harring, Ute Lemper, Twyla Tharp, Tony Bennett, Daniel Boulud, David Copperfield, Eve Ensler, Michael Panes, Kevin Venardos, Ed Koch, Kenny Chesney, Nathaniel Parker, Mario Batali, Poppy Montgomery, Edie Falco, Paul Theroux, Paul Giamatti, George Lois, Michael Gross, Roger Rosenblatt, Pauly Shore, Raoul Felder, Frederick Weller, Stephani Victor, Vinny Vella, Sr., Elijah Wood, Judith Regan, Richard Johnson.

Author royalties from Precious will be donated to the Starlight Children’s Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for seriously ill children and their families.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Melanie Dunea and Nigel Parry’s work has appeared in publications worldwide such as W, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, GQ, Esquire, InStyle, Newsweek, Time, The Sunday Times of London, Entertainment Weekly, and Amica. They have both been honored with many awards and exhibitions. Nigel Parry’s first monograph, Sharp, was published by powerHouse Books in 2000.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: powerHouse Books (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576872106
• ISBN-13: 978-1576872109
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Portraits
  • #77 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photo Essays

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Intimate Question Posed to Famous Subjects is Revealing, October 25, 2004

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Precious (Hardcover)

PRECIOUS is a unique and very fine book of photography by Nigel Parry and Melanie Dunea who came up with the idea of approaching the luminaries they usually photograph with a single question: "What part of you is precious?". The result is a series of close-ups of eyes, lips, and mouths - all body parts considered by the subjects to be the most precious part of their appearance, life, and career. Each page is given full play to even a small part of the body designated by the subject and an added short comment by the subject accompanies the elegantly designed layout. The subjects are wide ranging: Renee Fleming, Johnny Depp, Twyla Tharp, Tommy Hilfiger, Lukas Haas, Elijah Wood, Harrison Ford, Meg Ryan, Paul Theroux, Paul Giamatti - the list goes on covering not only Hollywood stars but also figures from the dance, theater, fashion, model, music, and literature worlds. This is a fascinating coffee table book that is probably more intimate than any single monograph of any one of the subjects!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing and Refreshing, January 22, 2005

By 

Alexandra Simon (Miami) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Precious (Hardcover)

This book is truly an accomplishment. After looking at so many high-profile photographer's books, I found all of the books to be self centered and all the same. This book is absoloutely different. Not only are each of the photographs unique, but the design of the book is a refreshing change from every other photo book out there. The quotes from all of the subjects in the book are revealing. The manner in which each person was photographed so creative and a nice change from the way that we're so used to see some of the celebs. These are two amazing photographers and its so good to see that they're putting their talents to work for such a great cause.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare gem, February 9, 2005

By 

J. Barr "jga831" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Precious (Hardcover)

I tend to enjoy history and science books so finding Precious was a real joy for the other side of my brain. The photography was inspired and, in a guilty pleasure sort of way, I really enjoyed reading about the famous and beautiful and learning just a bit about what made them tick.