Select delivery location
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Colors: A Book About a Magazine About the Rest of the World Hardcover – October 27, 2015

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

Twenty years of an influential Italian magazine "about the rest of the world"

Colors explores the very best of more than 20 years of the influential magazine of the same name, a quarterly Italian publication "about the rest of the world." Founded in 1991 by photographer Oliviero Toscani and art director Tibor Kalman, each issue of Colors focuses on a single topic and follows it around the world, relying on images as heavily as text to tell stories. Some have called it the magazine of the MTV generation; Kalman himself described it as "a mix of National Geographic and Life on acid."
In keeping with the structure of its unruly subject, the book treatment of
Colors approaches its subject transversely, organizing content thematically to highlight the "Tumblr ante litteram" nature of the publication. Material is grouped under headings such as "That's Amore" (on physical and emotional love of all kinds), "Bang!" (on weapons, violence, lust and shock), "Elvis" (on fame, excess, degeneration, disguise and kitsch) and "I Want to Believe" (on faith, cult, and what we worship now).
An attempt to tell the story of
Colors in its own words--and make work carried out in the past speak to the present day--this volume recombines text and images from different issues, pulled from the entire 25-year history of the magazine. With a foreword by Francesco Bonami, this volume is a fitting representation of the antic and intelligent spirit that defines the magazine.
Read more Read less

The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An inherently fascinating read and a very highly recommended addition to personal, community, and academic library collections. -- Carl Logan ― Midwest Book Review

An exceptional book... When you turn the pages of
Colors you’re struck by one powerful and surprising image after another. -- Madeleine Morley ― AIGA Eye on Design blog

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Damiani/Fabrica (October 27, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8862084242
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8862084246
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.11 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.8 x 1.2 x 12.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
30 global ratings
Global quirkiness
3 Stars
Global quirkiness
I remember the first issue of Colors back in 1991, certainly a different looking magazine, big photos (and frequently over enlarged) exuberant page design and articles that had a unique perspective on life around the world. It was funded though by the deep pockets of clothing manufacturer Benetton which allowed writer Oliviero Toscani and designer Tibor Kalman to do their own thing without the constraints that other publication live with.This large size book is a celebration of ninety issues of the magazine but I found the contents as scattershot as some copies of the magazine I had seen. The pages are a collection of reproductions of spreads from past issues which means that some of the text isn't readable or some of the copy has been reset and used with pictures from the original articles. There are ten themed chapters (plus two interviews at the start of the book with Toscani and Luciano Benetton) but they are very loosely based on their subject. The one called Elvis meanders around all sorts of items with very little to do with a dead rock 'n roll star. The one that seems the most obvious is Bang, which looks at various types of guns and explosive from around the globe.This could have been a worthwhile look back at ninety issues if only the Editors has presented the material in a more thoughtful way that would make sense to the reader. I always thought the Color's covers were interesting but there isn't even a spread or two showing all of them since 1991, the nearest you'll get to that is photo on page seventeen showing all of them in one pile with the spines facing the camera.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017
I have all of the magazines...this book about them is great!
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018
Love this book of the magazine.
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2020
I'm a big fan of the magazine and even worked on one of the issues in the mid-90s. I ordered two anthologies on COLORS from Amazon. I highly rate the COLORS Issues1-13 book for its retrospective and its composition and printing. However, this publication doesn't hold up to the quality of the COLORS enterprise.
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2016
I love this book, but it came with a warped spine :(
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2019
Book had water damage
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2015
I remember the first issue of Colors back in 1991, certainly a different looking magazine, big photos (and frequently over enlarged) exuberant page design and articles that had a unique perspective on life around the world. It was funded though by the deep pockets of clothing manufacturer Benetton which allowed writer Oliviero Toscani and designer Tibor Kalman to do their own thing without the constraints that other publication live with.

This large size book is a celebration of ninety issues of the magazine but I found the contents as scattershot as some copies of the magazine I had seen. The pages are a collection of reproductions of spreads from past issues which means that some of the text isn't readable or some of the copy has been reset and used with pictures from the original articles. There are ten themed chapters (plus two interviews at the start of the book with Toscani and Luciano Benetton) but they are very loosely based on their subject. The one called Elvis meanders around all sorts of items with very little to do with a dead rock 'n roll star. The one that seems the most obvious is Bang, which looks at various types of guns and explosive from around the globe.

This could have been a worthwhile look back at ninety issues if only the Editors has presented the material in a more thoughtful way that would make sense to the reader. I always thought the Color's covers were interesting but there isn't even a spread or two showing all of them since 1991, the nearest you'll get to that is photo on page seventeen showing all of them in one pile with the spines facing the camera.
Customer image
3.0 out of 5 stars Global quirkiness
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2015
I remember the first issue of Colors back in 1991, certainly a different looking magazine, big photos (and frequently over enlarged) exuberant page design and articles that had a unique perspective on life around the world. It was funded though by the deep pockets of clothing manufacturer Benetton which allowed writer Oliviero Toscani and designer Tibor Kalman to do their own thing without the constraints that other publication live with.

This large size book is a celebration of ninety issues of the magazine but I found the contents as scattershot as some copies of the magazine I had seen. The pages are a collection of reproductions of spreads from past issues which means that some of the text isn't readable or some of the copy has been reset and used with pictures from the original articles. There are ten themed chapters (plus two interviews at the start of the book with Toscani and Luciano Benetton) but they are very loosely based on their subject. The one called Elvis meanders around all sorts of items with very little to do with a dead rock 'n roll star. The one that seems the most obvious is Bang, which looks at various types of guns and explosive from around the globe.

This could have been a worthwhile look back at ninety issues if only the Editors has presented the material in a more thoughtful way that would make sense to the reader. I always thought the Color's covers were interesting but there isn't even a spread or two showing all of them since 1991, the nearest you'll get to that is photo on page seventeen showing all of them in one pile with the spines facing the camera.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
10 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Aroundbarcelona
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena selección de una revista pionera
Reviewed in Spain on July 10, 2022
Es un libro precioso, con una buena selección de material de la revista Colors, y algunas entrevistas. Lo compré de segunda mano y está impecable.
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Colors
Reviewed in Italy on January 25, 2017
Il libro è ottimo per approfondire l'argomento con molti esempi teorici e pratici.
Il pacco è arrivato puntuale e nelle condizioni come da descrizione.
Lisa Barker
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 11, 2015
lovely book shame about the packaging!
LuisToca
1.0 out of 5 stars Worst buy ever!
Reviewed in Spain on April 17, 2021
Wasted buy, the magazines are priceless, the book is a trash! I was very disappointed when I bought it!