Rare Finds: Collectible Art Books for Geeks
Looking to combine childhood nostalgia with your adult budget? Sideshow’s Rare Finds is your source for all things cool, classy, and collectible.
Behind the Scenes Secrets at Your Fingertips
Fans are always hunting for secrets and behind the scenes information from their favorite films and television series. Well, as the catchy little song goes, “Take a look, it’s in a book!”
More often than not, publishers and production companies work hard to provide fans with hardcover collectible books that go into greater depth than what makes it to the screen. These books often feature set photos, concept art, interviews, and even more little treasures to enhance the fan experience. In addition to making great decorative accents on a shelf or coffee table, they’re perfect for buffing up your nerd trivia. Who said learning had to be boring?
If you’ve got the need … the need to read, that is, then pop open any of these pop culture hardcovers that are packed with production details and stories you never knew!
X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series by Abrams Books
You can practically hear the theme song.
To me, my X-Men! Before the MCU captured audience imaginations, there was XMENTAS (or X-Men: The Animated Series). From its iconic opening sequence to truly engaging storylines adapting unforgettable Marvel Comics moments featuring the likes of Wolverine, Rogue, Cyclops, Gambit, Jean Grey, and others, this series had it all. X-Men: The Art and Making of the Animated Series is your Cerebro-style guide to the history of this beloved show, including Easter eggs, series origins, and the legacy of artists, toys, and other X-Men tales it inspired.
The Artist Within by Sampsel Preston Photography
More than just a portrait of the artist.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words — well, how about 216 pages of photography from some of the world’s most visionary artists? Featuring portraits shot exclusively by Greg Preston for this volume, The Artist Within gives a glimpse into the life and workspaces of iconic cartoonists, animators, painters, and comic book artists. See the creative setups of game-changers like Frank Miller, Jack Kirby, Olivia De Berardinis, Walter and Louise Simonson, and more, and enjoy the creative history of visionaries whose work has shaped pop culture as we know it.
Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History by Insight Editions
Your guide to how life found a way.
Bingo! Dino DNA. There’s plenty of excitement to be found in the fossils of this iconic film trilogy — and this book is much safer than picking up an informational pamphlet in Jurassic Park itself! Enjoy a private tour of the island paradise and all of its production secrets with Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History. Covering the entire original trilogy, the book features rare and never-before-seen imagery and exclusive interviews with key creatives who brought the project from bare dino bones to a roaring good time on screen. So much trivia, you’ll be saying, “Clever girl.”
Joe Alves: Designing Jaws by Titan Books/Random House
You’re going to need a bigger bookshelf.
Still thrilling and traumatizing hopeful beachgoers to this day, this game-changing, spine-chilling shark tale (no, not that one) has a complex creative history. In Joe Alves: Designing Jaws, the book combs the depths of designer Joe Alves’ production design that laid the blueprints for bringing Bruce to the big screen. Packed with Jaws-dropping details, this voracious volume features concept illustrations, handwritten location and production notes, and the first-time publication of the complete catalog of storyboards. Make this book your catch of the day!
The Art and Soul of Dune by Insight Editions
The movie secrets must flow.
He who controls the concept art controls the film! Dune is a beloved sci-fi epic, brought to life like never before in Denis Villeneuve’s recent big screen adaptation. The Art and Soul of Dune is the official film companion to the massive movie event, packed with insight into the entire development process from costume concepts to the incredible visual effects. No need to shift through the sands of Arrakis for more details and trivia about the ambitious blockbuster — this impressive hardcover will make you a mentat-level movie scholar before the next installment in the series arrives.
Take a page out of our book and update your reading list! You can get the full behind the scenes scoop straight from the filmmakers with these incredible collectible books and more. (Movie theater popcorn not included.)
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