Celebrate 100 years of Helmut Newton with $1,500 Baby Sumo book

Helmut Newton Baby Sumo
(Image credit: Taschen)

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Helmut Newton's birth, along with the publisher's 40th anniversary, Tashen has released Baby Sumo – a $1,500 / £1,000 prestige volume of the iconic photographer's work.

You may remember the original Sumo, released in 1999, which made a huge splash in the art monograph genre thanks to its colossal $22,500 / £17,500 price tag and matching size (after which the book is named). 

• Read more: Best coffee table books on photography

At 20 x 28 inches and 66lbs / 30kg, it broke records for its audacious size – and officially became the most expensive book produced in the 20th Century when a signed copy sold for 620,000DM ($430,000) in 2000.

Baby Sumo pays homage to the groundbreaking original (which might literally have broken your floor, if you dropped it) but comes as a shrunk-in-the-wash version, measuring 14.1 x 19.7 inches and weighting in at 21.56lbs / 9,80kg.

Strictly limited to 10,000 copies, this 464-page megabook contains 400 of Newton's most stunning images "reproduced and printed to the latest standards". Edited and revised by his widow, June, this "private exhibition of photographs"is accompanied by a booklet that documents the production of this historic volume.

And that's not all. Coffee table books are all well and good, but giant volumes like this will swallow your coffee table whole. Thankfully Baby Sumo, just like its predecessor, comes with a stunning book stand including a pedestal, once again designed by French architect and designer Philippe Starck.

Some of the classic photographs featured in the book include 'Rue Aubriot', 'Shoe', 'Walking Women', and portraits of stars such as Nicolas Cage, Catherine Deneuve and Mickey Rourke ('Rue Aubriot' is also being exhibited in London at the Helmut Newton: 100 Years event from 31 October to 14 November).

You can order Helmut Newton Baby Sumo directly from publisher Taschen.

Read more: 

The 50 best photographers ever
100 best photography quotes from famous photographers
The best books on fashion photography
The best books on portrait photography

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.