Super Bowl XL Opus MVP Edition (Leather Bound)

~ Dave Anderson (Author), Red Smith (Author), Roy Blount Jr. (Author), Walter Iooss Jr. (Photographer), Heinz Kluetmeier (Photographer), Neil Leifer (Photographer), David Halberstam (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The incredible MVP Edition of Super Bowl XL Opus—Limited to 400 copies, each of which includes a page that is personally signed by every living MVP in the history of the Super Bowl!

For 40 years, millions of fans have watched the ultimate celebration of the game of football: the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XL Opus, a massive, stunning new publication, is the ultimate tribute to this legendary sporting event. Chronicling Super Bowls I to XL, cinematic in style, Super Bowl XL Opus brings readers closer to the action than any publication has ever done. The images are truly breathtaking, the text is written by some of America's finest writers, and the quality and sheer scale of the Opus are totally unique. At 20" x 20", 850 pages, and weighing in at over 80 lbs, this is the heaviest sports-related book ever published.

The Opus is limited to a total edition of 20,000. The MVP edition is numbered 1 to 400; the Limited Edition is numbered 401 to 20,000. Every edition contains a microchip encrypted with codes unique to each Opus. This guarantees that the Opus is authentic and protects the value of your prized possession.

Every copy of the Opus, Limited or MVP edition, is hand-sewn and bound, covered in the finest quality leather, and presented in a wood-construction clamshell-style case covered in screen-printed silk. The MVP Edition shares the same content and production quality as the Limited Edition, but with one incredible difference. Each of the individually numbered copies from 1 to 400 has a single extra page—the MVP signature page. The Most Valuable Player award has created a special peer group of iconic football superstars. Incredibly, we have secured the signatures of every living MVP from the history of the Super Bowl on one page. The MVP Edition is not only the ultimate record of the Super Bowl, but also an amazing collector’s piece; an item of sports memorabilia unrivalled in the history of sport.

Included are over 150,000 words from America's finest sportswriters, among them Dave Anderson, Red Smith, Jim Murray, Dan Jenkins, Roy Blount, Jr., and David Halberstam. Excerpts from the biographies and memoirs of Bart Starr, Joe Namath, and Jerry Kramer, among others, are also included. The 1400 spectacular images, many previously unpublished, span the entire history of the Super Bowl. The photographs were taken by such legendary lensmen as Walter Iooss, Jr., Neil Leifer, Michael Zagaris, and Heinz Kluetmeier. Unpublished photographs by Barton Silverman, the 1969 Jets team photographer, include images of the incredible homecoming of MVP Joe Namath. Plus, an 80” x 20” gatefold of MVP portraits by Walter Iooss, Jr., shot on a 20” x 24” Polaroid camera, captures the heart and soul of the players who posed for them at Super Bowl XL.

There is yet another feature of the Super Bowl XL Opus that is truly unique: the ultimate Super Bowl Game Chart. The most comprehensive and detailed game chart ever created, it not only details every play of every Super Bowl, but by cross-referencing player rosters and recording the role of each player on the field, the reader is able to track the ball and experience the flow of the game in a way that has never been achieved before.

Quality is everything. The Super Bowl XL Opus is like nothing else.

Specs:



* Limited to 20,000 books, each individually numbered


* 850 pages printed on the finest semi-matte 200 gsm paper


* Pages are printed using a seven-color process and top-quality, light-fast inks


* Every page is edged in luxurious silver gilding


* Weighing over 80 pounds, the Super Bowl XL Opus is the heaviest sports book ever published


* Every copy is hand-sewn and bound using traditional techniques, and covered in the finest quality leather


* Presented in a wood construction clamshell-style case, covered in screen-printed silk


* Contains a microchip encrypted with unique codes individual to each Opus. This guarantees that the Opus is authentic and protects the value of your prized possession.

Product Details

• Leather Bound: 850 pages
• Publisher: Kraken Media and Sports (November 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905794029
• ISBN-13: 978-1905794027
• Product Dimensions: 30 x 28.1 x 12.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 95 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,308,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #85 in

  Books > Sports > Football (American) > Super Bowl

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for what they are, March 24, 2007

By	Kendall H. Gelner (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought two or three for the house, they are perfect for use as an inconspicuous book safe when hollowed out with a Dremel. I keep the most prized portions of my Beanie Baby collection within.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars and I don't even like football, May 12, 2007

By	George Kaplan "ROT" (CA) - See all my reviews

I bought this after reading Steve Weber's glowing review on Feedblitz.
Although I hate football and have never even seen a "Superball" (sic?),I realized this was the chance of a lifetime to purchase a collectible book which will surely appreciate, and soon!

It did break my glass coffee table, however. But that's a small price to pay, doncha think?

Can anyone tell me who the guys pictured in the book are and why they are there?

My copy is unclear on that point.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get rich quick.

30 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking, January 31, 2007

By	sally smith "AKA_notreally" (Mustang Ranch, NV) - See all my reviews

Took my breath away.. really!

My dear Norman, the football fan, bought this for the coffee table. Such a lovely conversation piece. Only he won't allow anyone to touch it, let alone read it. I'm afraid he caught me reading it, at 2 AM, the other night, by flashlight. The ensuing battle of words was not pretty.

So, now I rather hate the dam thing. Not to mention the price. We are eating beans and rice for the next few years, until the Visa is paid down. Even though I can't read it, I love to run my finger over the hand-stitched leather edges, when Norman is in the john (sssshhhhh! Don't tell!)

It is really very beautiful.

thanks - have a lovely Superbowl Sunday, Sally