Norman Mailer was a man's man, and this 12-piece limited-edition version of "MoonFire" -- which debuted last week at the Miami Basel art fair -- is definitely a man's book. The book itself includes Mailer's Apollo 11 landing reportage for Life magazine, along with exclusive images of the historic event -- but it's the volume's aluminum casing that gives it real cosmic cojones. Designed by Mark Newson, renowned for creating everything from planes to bicycles and watches, it's intended to look like a "Lunar Excursion Module," its surface replicating "an actual 3-D topography of the moon." (We think it looks sort of like a sci-fi foosball table.)
But your $90,300-$722,300 doesn't just get you a thick book in a high-tech case. You'll also receive your own piece of the moon, in the form of a small "lunar rock" that you can use as an impressive paperweight.
Each of the 12 editions is priced according to the size and rarity of the lunar meteorite it comes with. Why not spring for the one-of-a-kind 12th edition of the series, which will set you back $722,300? This beauty comes with a coveted, 348-gram moon meteorite unearthed in Morocco. Oh, and you also get to have dinner with famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (This'll give you the chance to discuss important philosophical issues over cocktails -- things like "What sort of lunatic spends over half-a-million dollars on a fancy book, a hunk of rock, and a dinner with Buzz Aldrin?") If you're cutting corners this holiday season, another Taschen tome is slightly cheaper and nearly as cool as a journey to the moon. Dennis Hopper's "Photographs 1961-1967" will only cost you $1,800 -- and you'll score a signed print of these badass bikers.
