Pin Ups! Pucci! and More Books at the Taschen Warehouse Sale

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The only thing wrong with the Taschen bi-annual warehouse sale is that it's taking place just a few weeks too late—the holidays have come and gone, and all our gifts have long been bought and distributed. Sopping by last night's preview made us want to start holiday shopping all over again.

Taschen is a leading publisher and distributor of the ultimate coffee table book: fat, glossy, beautiful tomes on art, architecture, design, fashion, and photography that usually retail at prices north of $100. But at the sale—happening in store and online—there are discounts of 50% to 75% off and four enormous tables set up in the middle of the stores packed high with books.

It's worth stopping by just to check out the first table, which features collector's editions of photographer Mario Testino's Private View and the complete James Bond Archives. Some of the books are limited editions and signed, and there's only pne copy of each available. These are only 20% off and will not be reduced any further, but at retail prices that start at $700 and go up to $4,500 for a massive Jeff Koons collection, any kind of discount will do.

With the exception of stunning Julius Shulman hardcovers on modernism (which retail for $300 and are now on sale for $150, but may have completely sold out by the end of the preview), nothing on the other three tables is over $100. Even the largest, heaviest, and most imposing of books—including Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Paintings and Drawings—are $99.99. Each is labeled with a bright blue sale sticker, and prices start as low as $4.99 for a Katherine Hepburn retrospective and $7.99 for a 2014 calendar made up of French photographer Robert Doisneau's street portraits.

Highlights of the sale include Taschen's wildly popular Peter Beard photography collection by Owen Edwards and Steven M.L. Aronson, which retails for $70 and is on sale for $34.99, and the iconic New York: Portrait of a City by Reuel Golden, which is normally $165 and is also on sale for $34.99. Other books of note include The New York Times 36 Hours collection, Genesis by Sebastião Salgado, Yohji Yamamoto by Terry Jones, and an incredible complete collection of Emilio Pucci's life's work.

For pop culture and film junkies, there are lots of movie books to sift through as well as Taschen's own line of "sexy books," including The Playboy Book and a 365-day pin-up girl collection ($14.99).

This sale is going on through Sunday at 107 Greene Street, from 11am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday and from 12pm to 7pm on Sunday. They plan to continue restocking throughout the weekend (tons of merchandise is still stacked on the floor in the back of the store) and though trade copies are not likely to drop beyond 50% off, other sale books will most likely will see additional reductions toward the end of the weekend.

Online prices may vary. Either way, don't let the cold stop you from checking out this wildly chic and sleek selection of books for book lovers and non-book lovers alike.—Marina Charny
· Dealfeed: Taschen Bi-Annual Warehouse Sale [Racked NY]