Very few artists can claim such lasting and worldwide fame and importance as Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). The nickname il divino ("the divine one") has been applied to him since the 1530s right through to today: his achievements as a sculptor, painter, and architect remain unparalleled and his creations are among the best-known artworks in the world. This Bibliotheca Universalis edition is devoted to the artist's graphic work, a testimony to his masterly command of line, form, and detail, from architectural studies to anatomically perfect figures. The book brings together some of the artist's finest drawings from museums and collections around the world as well as some of his own notes and revisions, offering stunning proximity not only to the ambition and scope of Michelangelo's practice but also his working process. A chapter with a compilation of newly attributed and reattributed drawings provides further insights into Michelangelo's varied graphic oeuvre and the ongoing exploration of his genius.

A polymath of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a prolific artist, theorist, and writer whose works explored everything from religion to art theory to philosophy. His vast body of work includes altarpieces, portraits, self-portraits, watercolors, and books, but is most celebrated for its astonishing collection of woodcut prints, which transformed printmaking from an artisan practice into a whole new art form. Durer's woodcuts astonish in scale as much as detail. Through works such as Apocalypse and the Triumphal Arch for Emperor Maximilian I, he created dense, meticulous compositions that were much larger, much more finely cut, and far more complex than any earlier woodcut efforts. With an ambitious tonal and dynamic range, he introduced a new level of conceptual, emotional, and spiritual intensity. His two major woodcut series on Christ's Passion, named The Large Passion and The Small Passion after their size, are particularly remarkable for their vivid human treatment of the Christian narrative. In his copper engraving, Melancholia I, meanwhile, Durer created a startling vision of emotional ennui, often cited as a defining early image of a depressive or melancholic state. Ever inquisitive, Durer absorbed ideas not only from masters and fellow artists in Germany but also from Italy, while his own influence extended across Europe for generations to come. In this essential TASCHEN introduction, we explore this pioneering figure's complex practice, his omnivorous intellect, and the key works which shaped his enduring legacy.

In 1962, he was created by exposure to gamma radiation in Incredible Hulk No. 1. Though it took a few years for him to develop his now-famous personality, he was nonetheless a weapon of destruction from that first appearance. Not only did the Hulk fight anyone who got in his way, but his alter ego, Bruce Banner, fought the multiple personality disorder that transformed him, spawning many other versions of the Hulk, each of whom were aspects of Bruce's personality. Despite that, the Hulk took down the Leader, the Abomination, and Wolverine, among hundreds of other great villains. The star of a smash-hit TV show, two blockbuster movies, and hundreds of great comics, he's one of the most instantly recognizable characters in the world. With 192 pages of images, and text by Roy Thomas, The Little Book of Hulk will be an indispensable guide to comics' most savage hero! (c) MARVEL

With investigations into everything from black holes to exoplanets, the Hubble Telescope has changed not only the face of astronomy, but also our very sense of being in the universe. On the 25th anniversary of its launch into low-earth orbit, TASCHEN celebrates its most breathtaking deep space images both as scientific feats and as photographic masterpieces. Ultra high resolution and taken with almost no background light, these pictures have answered some of the most compelling questions of time and space, while also revealing new mysteries, like the strange "dark energy" that sees the universe expanding at an ever-accelerated rate. Now, the precision of the telescope is matched with the precision of TASCHEN reproduction standards, allowing the images to mesmerize in their iridescent colors and vast, fragile forms. The collection is accompanied by an essay from photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with Zoltan Levay, who explains how the pictures are composed. Veteran Hubble astronauts Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and John Mace Grunsfeld also offer their insights on Hubble's legacy and future space exploration.

It's the old story. When TASCHEN released the first limited edition of R. Crumb Sketchbooks: 1982-2011, fans drooled over the gorgeous packaging of this six-volume boxed set, the artist's thoughtful editing, the hand-written introduction, marbleized page edges, and signed Crumb colored art print. Not all, however, could afford the steep price. So they whined and coveted, with the wail growing louder when the second boxed set, 1964-1982, was released the next year.Covet no more. R. Crumb Sketchbook, Volume 2: Sept. 1968 - Jan. 1975 combines the two middle volumes from the second boxed set, produced directly from the original artworks now belonging to an ardent French collector, into one fat 444-page Crumb feast, at an irresistible price. This book contains hundreds of sketches from the master of underground comic art, including cover roughs for Zap, Motor City and Despair comics, the introduction of Aline, the first female Yetis, Flakey Foont and Mr. Natural, Honeybunch Kaminski, San Francisco drug culture and big buoyant butts, all wrapped up in a quality hard cover featuring front and back illustrations newly hand-colored by Crumb himself.

Celebrating the centennial of a groundbreaking School of Art and Design, this volume marks the founding of the Bauhaus with a visual exploration of its most underrated members. While the institution provided women with new opportunities in education, along the way, they were faced with unreasonable family expectations, the ambiguous attitude of the faculty and administration, outdated social conventions, and, ultimately, the political repression of the Nazi regime. Unprecedented in current literature, Bauhausmadels presents 87 artists and artisans through texts and photographic portraits, many published for the very first time. Recent archival discoveries revive the biographies of better-known talents. These include Marianne Brandt, the first woman to be admitted to the Bauhaus metalworking program whose designs are used by Alessi to this day; Gertrud Arndt who, dissuaded by the faculty from studying architecture, instead shone through her photography and rug design; and Lucia Moholy, who photographed the Bauhaus buildings in iconic shots, but spent the rest of her life trying to retrieve the negatives which were withheld from her. Moreover, the volume reminds us of other women artists whose names, nearly forgotten, also stand for early pioneers of gender equality, refusing to follow the beaten tracks society and their families insisted on. With almost 400 portrait photographs taken between 1919 and 1933, Bauhausmadels creates a visual impression of the women artists who attended the most progressive art school of the 20th century and, departing from there, often changed the world of art, architecture, design, and even politics. Insightful biographical data sheds light on each artist's individual struggle, persistence in the face of adversity, and incredible accomplishments. In this grand family album, we discover a group of unique trailblazers whose legacy paved the way for women artists after them.

Afghanistan has long been a country overwhelmed by tribal rivalries, colonial wars, and geo-political conflict. The Afghans have called their mountains "the land of rebellion," a land that has not been successfully occupied since the times of Alexander the Great. These invaders - Persians, Arabs, Moguls, Sikhs, British, Russians - may have been thwarted, but wandering through the bazaars of Kabul will attest to their legacy. In the people of Afghanistan, the genes of countless races meet and intermingle.Deep are the fissures in Afghan society; the schism between Sunni and Shia, the endemic violence across clans and tribes, and the blood feuds and rivalries within lineages. Yet born of such chaos and entrenched conflict are these most breathtaking of images. In this definitive retrospective of his work in Afghanistan, Steve McCurry has curated over 140 gripping images to present a torn, proud people, from the desert of Kandahar to the streets of Kabul and remote rivers of Nuristan. For almost four decades, McCurry traveled to the country regularly, documenting its people with a rare and disarming humanity. His most striking portrait Afghan Girl (1984) has graced the covers of magazines around the world, in equal parts haunting and evoking remarkable grace and dignity. In common with so much of McCurry's work, it has a timeless, painterly quality-entirely at odds with the troubled region in which it was taken. McCurry has always been subjected to dangers that are an inevitable part of life "on the road" for photographers. He often ventured behind the lines, usually at great risk. His first trip to Afghanistan in 1979 involved him dressing in Afghan garb in order to be smuggled across the border from Pakistan. That journey into the treacherous, unpredictable landscape - territory controlled at various times by the Mujahideen, the Russians, and the Taliban - was one that McCurry would make numerous times. Many other photographers would follow in his footsteps, but none would return with such a flawless body of work.

From Aliens to Amadeus, get your fill of '80s nostalgia with this movie bible of all things bold, bizarre, and boisterous. We've diligently compiled a list of the most influential films of the 1980s that's sure to please popcorn gobblers and highbrow chin-strokers alike. Adventurous, excessive, and experimental, '80s cinema saw moviegoers get their kicks from pictures as wide-ranging as Blade Runner, Gandhi, and Blue Velvet. Science fiction, horror, and action emerged as the defining genres of the decade, with non-human characters like E.T. winning the hearts of millions, and movies such as Ghostbusters and Back to the Future fused comedy and sci-fi to the delight of audiences everywhere. Inside this '80s encyclopedia each movie masterpiece is profiled with stills, a synopsis, and cast, crew, and technical listings. With high-concept Hollywood blockbusters, early CGI, and brilliant special effects, the 1980s saw the invention of a new reality, a movie-world so convincingly real-no matter now far-fetched-that spectators could not help but immerse themselves in it.

Capturing several centuries of French crusades: Battles, burials and coronations coming to life before your eyes Completed circa 1474, Sebastien Mamerot s lavishly illustrated manuscript is the only contemporary document to describe several centuries of French crusades, when successive kings tried to seize the Holy Land. Jean Colombe, the medieval illuminator best known for his work on the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, is the principal artist of its 66 exquisite miniatures. Les Passages d Outremer (The Expeditions to Outremer) comprises 277 parchment folios, illustrated by Colombe and the finest caligraphers of the medieval era, and now resides in the French national library. This new hardcover edition in our popular Klotz format comprises a complete translation of the manuscript text, illustrated with 66 colourful miniatures by Jean Colombe, accurate down to the color of the medieval gold heightening, and their explanations. The battles, burials, coronations and processions depicted in the illustrations come to life before our eyes and create a forceful image, as well as a compelling read, of this centuries-long campaign of religious fervour and epic journey."

Whether it's the flower-filled meadows of the Dolomites or a blanket of stars above Chile's Elqui Valley, set forth and share in the discoveries of Mountains, Deserts & Plains, a collection of 25 dream destinations in TASCHEN's Explorer series with The New York Times. Discover the deliciously intricate geology of China's Wulingyuan National Park with Simon Winchester, the otherworldly beauty of Namibia with Elinor Burkett, or the sunrise serenity of the Sawtooth Valley in Idaho. The Times writers are your guides, and the wealth of color photographs that accompany their writing capture the catch-your-breath awe of each spectacular location. The Explorer series takes travel beyond the obvious with adventures in exotic places and new perspectives in familiar ones, all based on the distinguished travel journalism in The New York Times. Each journey features a first-person narrative and postcard-perfect photography that capture the unique personality of the destination-as well as practical information to help get you on your way. Edited by Barbara Ireland, whose 36 Hours travel series has been a TASCHEN best seller, the Explorer series launches with Beaches, Islands & Coasts and Mountains, Deserts & Plains. Upcoming volumes include Urban Adventures and Road, Rail & Trail.

With such credits as shooting the first American Vogue cover under Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, bringing together for the first time a group of young women who would become the '90s supermodels, and numerous solo exhibitions at world-renowned institutions including the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, and the Gagosian in London, Peter Lindbergh is a master of his craft who has made his mark in the halls of photography history. The industry quickly became enamored with his almost anti-fashion photography, capturing the Zeitgeist and the spirit of his subjects rather than pursuing today's search for perfection, which he considers inhuman. Handpicked from 37,000 unreleased photos from his groundbreaking 2017 Pirelli calendar shoot, Lindbergh offers an intimate insight into a pool of extraordinary talent: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Charlotte Rampling, Dame Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Kate Winslet, Lea Seydoux, Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz, Robin Wright, Rooney Mara, Uma Thurman, and Zhang Ziyi. His message is simple. These images speaks about a different kind of beauty, far away from society's obsession with youth and perfection; one which is concerned with individuality, the courage to be yourself, and your very own sensibility.

Back in 1974, the sexual revolution was in full swing and the adult entertainment business was on the verge of becoming Big Business. Deep Throat had created America's first porn star in 1972, but just two years later 1974 Linda Lovelace was already retired and the industry was seeking the next big thing. Vanessa del Rio should have been that thing, except in 1974 there were no ethnic sex stars. Undeterred, Vanessa took any role they'd give her, because, amazingly, she was there for the sex more than the money. Fans, awed by her on-screen passion, made her a top box-office draw and America's first Latina star. Retired since 1986, Vanessa del Rio remains a sexual icon who cuts across all ethnic boundaries. In this fresh and irresistibly affordable edition, TASCHEN presents Vanessa in all her candor, confidence, and exuberant sexuality through vintage photo shoots, film stills, her own enormous archive, and her own words. And because paper and ink can't do justice to a personality this big, an original 140-minute DVD documentary is also included.

Truffaut's rejection of traditional cinema "I make normal films for normal people."
--Francois Truffaut
From "The 400 Blows "to" Jules and Jim "to" The Last Metro," Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) practically defined the French cinema of his era and was one of the founders of the "New Wave" which took the industry by storm in the late 1950s. His endlessly touching and romantic films--always tinged by a touch of reflective sadness--made him one of France's favorite and most successful directors. This book traces Truffaut's career and includes rare images drawn from his archives.

Volume II: another 121 days to fill in
In a world where products are out as soon as they're in, where communicating without wires doesn't come without strings, and even our accessories need accessories, we need simple tools. A book that helps us look inside because we are overloaded outside.
Keel's Simple Diary(TM) offers structure for those who don't have time to wonder, making it easy to record life's moments. It gives the pleasure of a quick response and the sense that no matter what's wrong, more is right.
Why Simple Diary(TM)?
There are three reasons why most people, although they have tried, won't keep a diary:
1. Not every day is very eventful.
2. It actually takes a lot of discipline to write.
3. In retrospect, many find what they have written embarrassing.
What is Simple Diary(TM)?
It is an assistant for life, a book for any occasion, for any person at any age. On every page you will discover a taste of philosophy, a pinch of psychology and a twist of insight.
And here are three things Simple Diary(TM) can do for you:
1. Entertain the mind.
2. Help you focus.
3. Keep you company.
Simple Diary(TM) is Keel's response to having too much information and not enough meaning, and needing to remember what made him smile. Three volumes and many pastrami sandwiches later, Keel finally had the answers to his own questions. Simple Diary(TM) is the culmination of his quest to gain insight into who we are, and why we do what we do.
Simple Diary(TM)
Let it happen.
Visit: SimpleDiary.com

You asked, we listened. Hot on the heels of our best-selling flat-display bookstand, we've worked with our bookbinder to develop the next must-have. These stands display your book upright, whether closed or open to leaf through, allowing you to proudly showcase your favorite tome without damaging or straining its spine. Made of solid glass-like acrylic, these are available in three sizes custom-made to carry our entire catalogue. Whether it's a big-and-bold Collector's Edition or one of our Basic Art volumes, an XXL-sized monograph or a compact Bibliotheca Universalis: all TASCHEN books deserve the royal treatment.Size M: Fit for Basic Art series, and all regular titlesAlso available: Size L: Can accommodate up to our XL series Size XL: For all of our XXL-sized giants, including Collector's Editions (even enclosed in their clamshell box!)

Every harrowing day for a serviceman during World War II was potentially his last. To help bolster troops against the horrors of combat, commanders encouraged them to form tight "buddy" relationships for emotional support. Many war buddies, together every moment, and depending on each other to survive, formed intimate friendships. When they weren't fighting side by side, they relaxed together, discharging tension in boisterous-sometimes naked-play. The full extent of nude horseplay among men during World War II can't be known, as cameras were rare and film hard to process, but some men did document this unprecedented male bonding in small, anonymous photos mostly kept hidden away until their deaths. Los Angeles photographer Michael Stokes has spent years searching out these photos and building an archive of over 500 images. His collection includes soldiers and sailors from Australia, England, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, and the USA, cavorting on the sand in the South Pacific, shivering in the snow of Eastern Europe, posing solo in the barracks, and in great happy groups just about everywhere. These images show men barely out of boyhood, at their physical peak, responding to the reality of battle by living each day to the fullest-a side of the war never before made public. The introduction is by Scotty Bowers, an 89-year-old ex-Marine and author of Full Service, the best-selling memoir of his sexual exploits in Hollywood, and how the war forever altered his attitudes about gay and straight, just as these photos may alter our attitudes about World War II and war buddies.

In 1960, photographer William Claxton and noted musicologist Joachim Berendt traveled the United States hot on the trail of jazz. Through music halls and marching bands, side streets and subways, they sought to document this living, breathing, beating musical phenomenon that enraptured America across social, economic, and racial lines. The result of Claxton and Berendt's collaboration was Jazzlife, much sought after by collectors and now revived in this fresh TASCHEN volume. From coast to coast, from unknown street performers to legends of the genre, this defining jazz journey explores just what made up this most original of American art forms. In New Orleans and New York, in St. Louis, Biloxi, Jackson, and beyond, Claxton's rapturous yet tender images and accompanying texts examine jazz's regional diversity as much as its pervasive vitality and soul. They show the music makers and the many spaces and people this music touched, from funeral parades to concert stages, from an elderly trumpet player to kids who hung from windows to catch a glimpse of a passing band. With images of Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Gabor Szabo, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and many more, this is as much a compelling slice of history as it is a loving personal tribute.

Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers, magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless possibility-whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual realities, video games, and the Internet, the craft of magic was the most powerful fantasy world man had ever known. As the pioneers of special effects throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by making the impossible possible. This book celebrates more than 500 years of the stunning visual culture of the world's greatest magicians. Featuring more than 750 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Bruegel among others, The Magic Book traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with incisive text, the book explores the evolution of the magicians' craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century's golden age of magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century's vaudevillians.

Monsters, symbols, and hidden meanings abound in this boxed set of 25 Hieronymus Bosch postcards, including stunning details The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Bring a fantastical vision to your wall with these 16 ready-to-frame prints from the Renaissance rebel genius, Hieronymus Bosch, including spectacular details from The Garden of Earthly Delights.Included artworks: Ecce Homo (Christ presented to the People), c. 1490 Temptation of St Anthony, c. 1501 Garden of Earthly Delights, c. 1503 Paradise and Hell, c. 1505 - 1515 The Last Judgement, c. 1506 The Wedding at Cana with Exempla, c. 1500 -- 1510 Four Afterlife Panels, c. 1490 Haywain, c. 1510 -- 1516

Since his release of The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries in 1957, Ingmar Bergman has been one of the leading figures in international cinema. In a career that spanned 60 years, he wrote, produced, and directed 50 films that defined how we see ourselves and how we interact with the people we love, through works like Persona, Scenes from a Marriage, and Fanny and Alexander. Before his death in 2007, Bergman gave TASCHEN and the Swedish publishing house Max Stroem complete access to his archives at the Bergman Foundation as well as permission to reprint his writings and interviews, many of which have never been seen outside of Sweden. Picture researcher Bengt Wanselius, who was Bergman's photographer for 20 years, scoured photo archives all over Sweden, discovered previously unseen images from Bergman's films, and selected unpublished images from many photographers' personal archives. This re-edition draws from our out-of-print Bergman Archives, the most complete book on the director to date. For this award-winning production, TASCHEN Editor Paul Duncan gathered a team of Bergman experts who have researched and written a narrative that, for the first time, combined all of Bergman's working life in film. Such is the depth of Bergman's writings that most of the story is told in his own words. This book also features an introduction by Bergman's close friend and collaborator, actor Erland Josephson. On November 24, 2008, Paul Duncan and Bengt Wanselius won the 2008 August Prize for the Best Non-Fiction Book published in Sweden. This is the most prestigious literary prize in Sweden, voted on by booksellers and librarians throughout the country.

Meet Little Nemo, a diminutive hero of comic narrative, but one of the greatest dream voyagers of the 20th century. The master creation of Winsor McCay (1869-1934), Nemo inspired generations of artists with his weekly adventures from bed to Slumberland, a realm of colorful companions, psychedelic scenery, and thrilling escapades. This book gathers all of Little Nemo's colorful airship adventures in Slumberland, totaling 69 installments, first published between January 1910 and April 1911. Brimming with sky-high imagination, these airship adventures represent some of the most ambitious artwork and exciting tales of McCay's revolutionary comic and of his much-loved dream voyager. The installments see Nemo flying to the moon, to Mars, and on a triumphant tour of major sights and metropolises across the East Coast of America and Canada and beyond, including Yellowstone National Park, Niagara Falls, and New York City. An introductory essay from art historian Alexander Braun contextualizes these airship episodes within the broader Little Nemo series as well as McCay's ambitious and exceptionally influential career. Braun reveals how the airship journey was not only a pioneering narrative arc in the early days of comic but also a "creative bombshell" which propelled McCay towards further endeavors, namely the first animated film in history.

Handwriting works magic: it transports us back to defining moments in history, creativity, and everyday life and connects us intimately with the people who marked the page. For nearly half a century, Brazilian author and publisher Pedro Correa do Lago has been assembling one of the most comprehensive autograph collections of our era, acquiring thousands of handwritten letters, manuscripts, and musical compositions as well as inscribed photographs, documents, and drawings. From an 1153 parchment signed by four medieval popes to a 2006 thumbprint signature by physicist Stephen Hawking, the items illustrated here span nearly nine hundred years, and along the way bring us up close and personal with writers, artists, composers, political figures, performers, explorers, scientists, philosophers, and rebels whose actions and creations have made them legends. Rather than focusing on a single era or subject, Correa do Lago made the ambitious decision to seek important autographs in eight broad areas of human endeavor-art, history, literature, science, music, philosophy, exploration, and entertainment. The 140 extraordinary selections gathered in this book-displayed for the first time in a major exhibition at New York's Morgan Library and Museum-include letters by Lucrezia Borgia, Vincent van Gogh, and Emily Dickinson, annotated sketches by Michelangelo, Jean Cocteau, and Charlie Chaplin, and manuscripts by Giacomo Puccini, Jorge Luis Borges, and Marcel Proust. Handwriting is one of the most visceral means by which we leave tracks of our existence. At a time when so much of our communication has become utterly immaterial, this collection conveys the power of the pen to illuminate the energy, passion, vulnerability, and imagination of humankind across the ages.

For over five generations, National Geographic magazine has dazzled and educated its readers with incredible photography and gripping stories spanning the four corners of the earth and the deepest oceans. Inspired by our monumental Around the World in 125 Years, this volume curates over 200 captivating images, sourced directly from the National Geographic historical archives, including almost 40 new photographs. Traversing travel, history, culture, social documentary, and conservation, this compendium is in equal parts a breathtaking homage to the spirit and diversity of Europe, and a unique tribute to the world's most famous photography magazine.National Geographic pioneered the aesthetic of the photo essay, while continually pushing the medium's technical boundaries, to both entertain and enlighten its millions of loyal readers. Our trans-continental journey through time and space spans across all corners of Europe, from the snow-capped peaks of Finland to the frothy foam parties of Ibiza, from the serene blue waters of the Greek Islands to the Lascaux cave paintings of Southern France. We witness the hair-rising eruption of Surtsey in Iceland, where lightning rips through the volcano's clouds in otherworldly hues of purple; lose ourselves among flowers and babushka-wrapped heads in Russia's Volgograd marketplace; and tread carefully behind climbers across a crevasse in the Bernese Oberland. Along the way, we absorb the culture of the some of the world's greatest cities including Paris, Rome, Berlin, London, Vienna, Stockholm, Moscow, and many others.National Geographic: Europe leaves no stone unturned in its ultimate voyage through the precious jewels and hidden facets of the European continent. From evocative early black-and-white pictures to autochromes, from the golden age of Kodachromes to digital, this is both a celebration of the power of photography and a unique trip to the soul of Europe.

The title means "the little death," a euphemism for orgasm, but the women who exuberantly masturbate for Toronto photographer Will Santillo in this book are as lively a bunch as you'll ever meet. Santillo conceived the project 13 years ago to include a thorough cross section of women: young to old, slim to thick, perfect beauties to those not considered beautiful until seen through his lens. The one constant would be that each would decide and direct how she masturbated to climax while he captured the moment. From previous projects with amateur subjects Santillo had come to believe that masturbation is a far more personal act than most sex play because it is conducted almost exclusively in private. He set out to reveal the diversity and creativity with which women approach self-stimulation, and to portray the beauty of ordinary women in the throes of orgasm-a beauty far richer than the male-oriented depictions seen in pornography. Santillo says he seeks to uncover the hidden face of his subjects, and indeed, it's the faces that best show the intensity of response in these artfully explicit photos. Framing these lush, sepia-toned pictures are Dian Hanson's interviews with 37 of Santillo's models. Their candid insights discuss overcoming inhibition, giving in to exhibitionism, and achieving orgasm in front of a stranger with a camera. For all who are curious about just what the woman next door-or one's own wife-gets up to in her private moments, La Petite Mort is a breath of life.