David Byrne Reading Each Other deluxe signed book limited 50

https://www.phaidon.com/store/artspace/a-history-of-the-world-in-di...

For deep pockets or die-hard fans.

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Permalink Reply by Nick Dominic on January 24, 2022 at 7:06am

Huge ripoff imho when I was able to get two of his books signed through bn and bam in the recent past…

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Permalink Reply by 0800Autocollect on January 24, 2022 at 7:07am

There are signed copies of another one of his books for 29.99 on that site.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on January 24, 2022 at 5:52pm

I don't get it. what's going on here that would even vaguely justify its price tag?

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Permalink Reply by Michael Lee on January 24, 2022 at 5:55pm

Good question. Especially considering he has multiple signed book options already on the market.

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Permalink Reply by Stepeanut on January 24, 2022 at 11:41pm

This isn’t an item that is being marketed at a premium on the strength of Byrne’s signature alone. It is not a regular signed edition, and their target audience is not collectors of £20–£30 signed books. As has been pointed out, there is already a signed standard edition to cater to that demographic.

Instead, this is being marketed, via the inclusion of the limited edition signed print on high-quality paper, as an art piece, with a gallery-level price to match. Whether of not one values Byrne’s visual art that highly is subjective, but the art market operates on just such terms.

Personally, I don’t find the drawing sufficiently aesthetically pleasing to justify a £750 outlay, but there might be some well-heeled fans who do. £250–£300 would seem a more realistic price point, IMO. But my opinion, or yours, doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. If 50 people buy it, then the edition will be considered a success. Whether it will later hold its value on the secondary market is another matter entirely.