John Derian Picture Book (John Derian Paper Goods)
John Derian Picture Book (John Derian Paper Goods) book cover

John Derian Picture Book (John Derian Paper Goods)

Hardcover – Illustrated, October 4, 2016

Price
$47.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
368
Publisher
Artisan
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1579656478
Dimensions
11.25 x 1.5 x 14.5 inches
Weight
6.22 pounds

Description

Review “Thick, satisfying . . . gloriously oversize. . . . A treasure trove of inspiration, the artist’s first book is an object to covet.” —The Wall Street Journal “Big lush pages.” —The New York Times “A feast for the eyes. . . . The book brims with untold stories.” —Wallpaper “Joyfully nostalgic. . . . An eye-popping tour of [Derian’s] archives.” —Elle Decor “Destined to become a collector’s item.” —Better Homes Gardens “The quality of paper and ink used in making the book makes you feel like you’re flipping through a collection of prints.” —The Houston Chronicle “This simple, beautiful book filled with nearly 300 images from the 18th and 19th centuries, defies categorization. . . . All of the oversize pages are frame-worthy.” — The Los Angeles Times “If you could bring yourself to rip out the pages and frame them, you would be able to decorate an entire apartment with this book. But having all the exotic and vintage illustrations in one place—fantastic creatures (mostly dogs), seafaring vessels (and men), far-flung gardens (and the things that grow in them)—is a warm comfort on a cold winter day.” — T: The New York Times Style Magazine “John Derian’s ultimate paperweight.” —Vanity Fair “A picture book for adults: John Derian’s dreamlike world fascinates. . . . We bet we’ll see framed pages from this book on many walls.” —PaperCity “Gorgeously wordless.” —The Boston Globe “No words. Doesn’t need ’em.” —New York Magazine “An enchanting miscellany of marvels.” —Harper’s Bazaar (U.K.) “Set to triumph in this season’s top coffee table book competition. . . . John Derian Picture Book contains beguiling images drawn from old prints and lithographs. . . . We suspect that some people may buy two copies, one to display and another to cut up for pictures and to decorate the walls.” — The Times (London) “Truly a must-read.” —Vogue.com “If there’s one coffee-table book that’s the must-have gift book of the season, this one is it. . . . Arresting, odd, and lovely images.” — Kirkus Reviews About the Author John Derian is an artist and designer who transforms printed images from the past, and in doing so transports the viewer to another world. He established John Derian Company Inc. in 1989, and his decoupage plates, platters, paperweights, coasters, and bowls are still entirely handmade in his studio in New York City, where he employs a small staff of artisans to assist with production. His designs are sold at upscale home stores, in catalogs, and at gift shops worldwide, and he has designed exclusive collections for Cisco Brothers, Astier de Villatte, Target, and more. His retail shops, studio, and homes have been featured in Vogue , T: The New York Times Style Magazine , The World of Interiors , Elle Decor , and Vanity Fair , among others.

Features & Highlights

  • New York Times
  • Bestseller   Named one of the Best Gift Books of the Year by
  • Entertainment Weekly
  • ,
  • InStyle
  • ,
  • House Beautiful
  • ,
  • T: The New York Times Style Magazine
  • ,
  • Better Homes & Gardens
  • ,
  • Luxe Interiors + Design
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  • People StyleWatch
  • ,
  • Garden & Gun
  • ,
  • The Los Angeles Times
  • ,
  • The Chicago Tribune
  • ,
  • New York Magazine
  • , and more
  • John Derian’s home goods empire reaches far and wide—in addition to the four John Derian stores he owns in New York and Massachussetts, his products are sold by more than 600 retailers worldwide, including Neiman Marcus, ABC, and Gump’s in the United States; Conran and Liberty in the UK; and Astier de Villatte in Paris. It all started with his now-iconic collectible plates decoupaged with 19th-century artwork sourced from old and rare books, a process that credited him with elevating the decoupage technique into fine art. Over the past 25 years, the brand has expanded greatly to include home and general design gifts and products. Now, for the first time ever, comes the book John Derian fans have been waiting for. Culled from the thousands of images that have appeared in his biannual collections, here is an astoundingly beautiful assortment of nearly 300 full-bleed images in their original form. From intensely colored flowers and birds to curious portraits, hand-drawn letters, and breathtaking landscapes, the best of John Derian is here. The result is an oversized object of desire, a work of art in and of itself, that brilliantly walks the line between commerce and art, and that is destined to become
  • the
  • gift book of the season.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(294)
★★★★
25%
(123)
★★★
15%
(74)
★★
7%
(34)
-7%
(-35)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Yeah, kinda

Well, I have to admit that I am kind of disappointed. But I'm also coming from the perspective of not having paid full price or even the discounted Amazon price for my copy. I was able to purchase this book used and paid less than half the cover price. Had I paid full price or Amazon price I would have been a whole lot more disappointed.

Here is what I like:
The book is very well made.
Reproduction of the images is sharp and clear and colorful.
The paper the images are printed on is a good quality stock.
The images are, indeed, very large - I would guess much larger than the originals based on my experience with antique chromolithographs and steel engravings. If you're looking for details of antique images you're going to get that with this book.

What I don't like so much:
Because the images are so large - more than double or triple their original size in many if not all cases - some have lost their "prettiness" for me.
Content on several pages is very sparse.
Many of Derian's favorite images, which is what this book is all about, didn't really excite me.
The double-page spreads. Ugh. I hate them.
(I've included photos to illustrate my points. My photos of the faces are not detail shots - they are really that large in the book - book page size is about 11" x 14" and the images fill the page.)

So bottom line - had I paid full price or Amazon price I would have been sorely disappointed. But I didn't and because the amount of money I invested was smaller I can set the bar a bit lower. Given that, had I looked through the book before I'd purchased it I have to admit that I would have probably waited for it to get really really cheap.

Book content is 3-stars, book build is 5-stars so I give it 4-stars with a caveat - buy it used if you can.
90 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Incredible Picture Book!

John Derian is incredibly talented & I have been admiring his beautiful decopodge plates for years! When I saw his book in my favorite home decor store recently I couldn't resist ordering it for less on Amazon! In fact I ordered 2, one as a gift. The book is full of gorgeous prints one after the other of animals, insects, floral images, a ship, people, ... So vibrant & colorful! It's inspiring to examine the fine detail of each print. Have a magnifying glass next to this fantastic large book on my coffee table! Love love love this book!!!
24 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Daily inspiration!

Its always open. I turn to a new page each day.
20 people found this helpful
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Beautiful Book of Beautiful "Objets D'Art" (stuff)

I don't normally (if ever) buy books like this-books that I call "cocktail table" books that have no purpose than to display art or decorative ideas. While there's certainly nothing wrong with this "genre," it's just not me. UNTIL I was given (as a gift) a beautiful small dish. When I turned it over, I saw the name "John Derian" inscribed on it. I love the dish and went to John Derian's website and loved nearly everything. But don't have the $$ to buy most of them so I bought the book instead. It's really a beautiful book and has inspired me to look further for interesting decor items. What I didn't know was that John Derian either started his interest in collecting or was inspired in some way by looking in vintage, antique, "flea" market type shops in Salem, MA-the town right next to mine! I would consider buying it again as a gift for a couple of women friends (and my sister) because I know that they would really like the unusual (but so unique and interesting) items. I'm glad I bought it for myself!
15 people found this helpful
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For any artist whether you use watercolor, pencil, ...

For any artist whether you use watercolor, pencil, decoupage especially, design ideas, this book is pure gold. Plus, it's absolutely gorgeous! John
Derian was very very generous to share his archival stash with all of us; thanks John!
15 people found this helpful
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Great book for everyone, really!

I really do love this book! It's rare to find picture books for adults where the words are left out and all you have is eye candy. Let your imagination soar with every page! Picture after picture after picture. No words. Just pictures. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! I purchased this book for my sister this Christmas. She is mentally & physically disabled and in her 40s. She is too old for the kid picture books, and she isn't able to read the adult picture books that are short on pictures and loaded with words. With this book, she'll be able to keep it open on her lap, turn the page whenever she feels like it and enjoy the intricate details within every story that each picture holds. Thank you, John Derian!
14 people found this helpful
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Huge disappointment! Definitely NOT what expected.

This book was a huge disappointment. The first is the quality of the paper. I expected a quality, glossy paper rather than the wallpaper-like quality. Second, the size of the images are too large! In order to get any kind of perspective on the images, you need to hold the book some distance away from you...which is not feasible given that the book is so large. Third, the images themselves are o.k. but there's nothing partuculary special that I haven't seen coutless times before. Overall, I am stunned by predominately glowing reviews of this book! And, I concur with the few dissenting reviews completely. From now on, I will make a point of looking at the negative reviews no matter how overwhelmingly positive product reviews are. In summary, the size of the images, the paper quality, and the images selection contribute to an overall disappointing experience. If at all possible, I will return this book.
7 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Disappointed

I am dissapointed in the images. I should return it. Over enlarged prints lose their clarity.
7 people found this helpful
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👌👍

This is a really interesting, beautiful book. The quality of it is exceptional. I highly recommend it.
4 people found this helpful
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A new FAVORITE COFFEE TABLE COLLECTIBLE from my favorite, John Derian!

You don't have to love John Derian, as I do, to fall in love with this amazing coffee table book!!! So full of beautiful images that he has used in his collection of antique papers to make those amazing trays !!! Have given for many gifts to excited recipients !!
4 people found this helpful