Antiques & Collectibles

Today’s art market is incredibly dynamic. There are so many compelling works, shows, and exhibitions to choose from and new galleries are opening all the time.

Because there is so much to discover and see, many people are getting interested in collecting art. But since it’s impossible to keep track of all developments, becoming an art collector is not easy. A Poor Collector’s Guide to Buying Great Art provides relief and offers sound advice to those who want to buy art but don’t know how or where to do it. They might have preferences in terms of styles or techniques, but they’re not familiar with how the buying process works. Perhaps they already have specific pieces in mind but don’t yet trust the rules of the art market ―if such rules actually exist. What does someone actually need to know to prevent their personal tastes from leading them to make the wrong investment decisions?

On his way to becoming a passionate art collector himself, Norwegian adventurer Erling Kagge had to learn these ropes and answer this exact question. His years as a mountain climber and visitor to both poles undoubtedly helped him to explore and assess the extremes of the art market. Thankfully for us, his experience also gave him the desire and skills to impart his knowledge to others in A Poor Collector’s Guide to Buying Great Art.

This book illuminates all aspects of becoming an expert at buying art that one will enjoy for many years, such as how to get started, how to take one’s tastes seriously, how to do a targeted search for pieces, how to learn to appraise prices, and how to find trustworthy partners. Kagge’s practical yet entertaining step-by-step guidance also includes ways to identify and avoid pitfalls and deceptive temptations. As an extreme athlete, he knows very well how to follow rules yet trust his instinct where it counts. This know-how has benefitted Kagge on the art market and now it will benefit all readers of A Poor Collector’s Guide to Buying Great Art, too.

The thinking man’s sports car: a symbol of the relentless desire for peak power and limitless performance. The Porsche 911 inspires a worldwide ripple effect.

When Ferdinand Porsche could not find a sports car he liked, he decided to build one himself. And now, the rest is history: Jerry Seinfeld drives it; Boris Johnson admires it; Steve McQueen loves it; and Jeremy Clarkson hates it. The Porsche 911 moves the world. Despised by many in Germany as a set of wheels for fat cats, it is the favorite car of free spirits and intellectuals in the U.S. and across the globe. The Porsche 911 was not just invented by one of the most fascinating and controversial families – it is also a technical meisterwerk. Since its launch in 1963, the 911 has built a reputation for itself as "the thinking man’s sports car." Both a car and a cultural icon, it has earned a fan base that spans from young to old, East to West, connoisseur to enthusiast.

Porsche 911: The Ultimate Sportscar as Cultural Icon explains how this German car became a global phenomenon and a symbol of aspiration, freedom, and the appetite for perfection, and even more, why, around the world, the 911 continues to fascinate gentlemen, ladies, and rogue drivers. In this book, Ulf Poschardt sends Porsche drivers to the shrink and concludes that a little narcissm can be a healthy thing; he then takes them on an engaging journey through the checkered history that defines their pride and joy. Not everyone can, nor indeed should, drive a Porsche, but Porsche 911: The Ultimate Sportscar as Cultural Icon lays bare the raw driving force behind the 911 for anyone intrepid enough to discover.