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The gigantic book BHUTAN is a breathtaking photographic adventure across the legendary last Himalayan kingdom. Teams from MIT and Friendly Planet took over 60,000 photographs on four extensive expeditions. Portraits of people are life-size or bigger. Panoramas convey the staggering sweep of the Great Himalayan Range and the awesome and unique ancient architecture. Tantric Buddhist dancers, clad in a rainbow of sparkling brocade silks, almost seem to be leaping off the page. According to Guinness World Records, at over five by seven feet (and 133 pounds), this beautiful photographic book is the largest published book in the world–about one of the world’s smallest countries. More like a giant gallery show in a single volume, Bhutan is breathtaking. BHUTAN comes with a custom-fitted aluminum shelf easel designed and built by Mekatronics, Inc that supports the book in a nearly vertical position.
A limited edition of 500 copies will be produced. The $15,000 “price” (about $100 per page) is a donation to Friendly Planet (a publicly supported charitable organization exempt from federal income tax pursuant to IRC 501(c)(3)). Each copy is built expressly for the recipient, is numbered, and can include a personal dedication message. Because the book is produced on demand for donors, please allow a month or two for your copy to be built. Once Friendly Planet receives your donation, they will advise you of your copy number and the estimated production and shipping schedule.
You will also receive instructions for tax purposes and a certificate from Guinness World Records. The ultimate charitable proceeds of your gift (the amount eligible for potential deduction for federal income tax purposes) may vary according to production costs. Amazon.com is waiving its commission related to the donations to Friendly Planet.
Features
- Price includes tax-deductible gift (see below for details), and display easel
- The world’s largest book, measuring 5×7 feet when open
- Atlas of the country created by renowned artist and author David Macaulay
- 114 pages and over a hundred photographs of the Himalayan kingdom
- Lab tests show the materials and lightfast media to be age resistant for over 100 years
Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom Reviews
It’s a Piece of Art, Not a Book
I wanted to clear a few things up because I see other reviewers have been making fun of this book.
I have a friend who owns this book. It is showcased in his large, airy sitting room along with other artwork and sculpture. Every time I visit, the book is open to a different page. Calling this piece of art a book denigrates it, because one compares it to other books and the price appears not to make sense.
If you purchase art, this is an artwork you would purchase like any other sculpture. It is likely to be just as beautiful and interactive as the other art you show in your home gallery. Children and adults alike can enjoy interacting with it, with care of course as with any other touchable work of art. Needless to say, the photographs are gorgeous.
The “far east” is opening up. Within a number of years, the way of life captured in this book will likely change so significantly that the beautiful images will be a record of history, as opposed to a window onto a current way of life the way they are now.
If you are an art collector and a person of means, I can’t imagine a better way to incorporate a new artwork into your collection: by making a donation to a worthy cause. Did I mention that this is probably the only way to buy art and have your purchase be tax-deductible?
This book is a modern masterpiece
I am not unbiased as I happen to be Mike Hawley’s Dad.
We bought an early copy and displayed it in our California home for about 3 months before donating it to my hometown library in West Chicago, IL where it is prominently displayed in the lobby of the new library (new compared to the library of my youth there).
Everyone who got the chance to see it was in awe of the quality of the photography and the printing. Each day by turning a page (major, two-handed operation) one may display a new work of art. It was wonderful to see kids in midwestern town connect with a culture that could not be more different from their own.
The logistics of shipping and setting up the book are not not for the ordinary reader. It is a 2-man operation at least but it is well worth the effort.
As a bonus, it decribes the making of the big book. As I understand it, proceeds go to help education in Bhutan.
If you get a chance to see this book, go for it
It’s a very impressive tome. A sea of paper. Somehow the photos do not do it justice.
As of a few years ago, this joint project of the MIT Media Lab and Acme Bookbinding of the Boston area, is the world’s largest “published” book. At that time it was $10,000, later climbing to $15,000, and now it appears $30,0000. At least earlier in its history that money was donated to charity.
There are about ten copies on public display and another twenty copies (minimum) out there in private collections.
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