TASCHEN have announced the release of The Ken Adam Archive Signed & Numbered XL Edition in March 2023. This special release is limited to 1,200 numbered copies, each signed by Sir Ken Adam, with an engraved orange acrylic bookstand.
This Collector’s Edition is signed at the front by Sir Ken Adam and has a hardcover in iridescent fabric with a four-phase lenticular detail. The 360 page book is realised in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek, which was honoured with Adam’s personal archive in 2012, and is illustrated by hundreds of sketches and photographs, many of them never published to this date. Whether in the sprawling extravagance of You Only Live Twice’s (1967) volcanic lair, or the unassuming simplicity of the sinister anteroom in Dr. No (1962), Adam’s designs were indispensable to the look and feel of seven of the early James Bond films.
In The Ken Adam Archive, his artworks are carefully complimented by a wealth of behind-the scenes photographs, documents, and archival material on the films, courtesy of EON Productions. Not only did Adam craft the space stations, bunkers, and laboratories of 007’s villains, he was responsible for many of his memorable vehicles, as whimsical as they were menacing: from the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) to Goldfinger’s (1964) gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5, the ultimate combination of futuristic weaponry and tongue-in-cheek wit.
Through a series of illuminating interviews between Adam and author Sir Christopher Frayling, The Ken Adam Archive reflects upon the life and work of the German-British refugee and fighter pilot who would go on to realize a celebrated career in production design, spanning seven decades and over 50 films.
Production Information:
Release Date: March 2023
Publisher: TASCHEN
Format: Hardback
Pages: 360
Price: US $1000
Dimensions: 36 cm x 36 cm
Weight: 3.88 kg
ISBN: 978-3-8365-5187-8
