40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection (Christie's auction catalogue)



Well, I've posted about this elsewhere already, but what the heck.

The scans above show the two-volume standard edition of 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection, the auction catalogue for the Christie's auction of Star Trek props, costumes, models, documents, set decorations, furniture, and more. About 500 pages in two trade paperback volumes, full colour, text by Michael and Denise Okuda. Click here for the Christie's page about the catalogue.

My reaction? Wow.

Wow first of all because this is the first coffee table book to show so much stuff from every incarnation of Star Trek (well, except TAS).

Wow second of all because frankly I can't believe they're selling some of this stuff. When Star Trek returns, it's going to be expensive, because there really won't be much at all to recycle and reuse. And, frankly, the thought of some of this stuff going into the hands of collectors rather than a museum or something is disappointing.

Descriptive comments from the ol' website:

Though it serves a practical purpose as a description of items up for sale at auction, this book and its second volume (below) also serve as coffee table books for fans interested in Star Trek's costumes, set decoration, furniture, props, models, and more. Every page has full colour photos (sometimes one per page, sometimes more, depending on the item in question) with a brief description and, frequently, a note provided by the Okudas providing extra context or trivia relating to the item in question.

There are two options for potential buyers: the less expensive takes the form of two paperback volumes with a print run of 10,000. The more expensive limited edition is two hardcover volumes in a slipcase (with a lenticular cover image of the Enterprise-A) and a ten-minute DVD with behind-the-scenes footage from the Paramount warehouse and the auction house, as well as interviews with Michael and Denise Okuda, Robert Blackman, Michael Westmore, and Rod Roddenberry. (Thanks to Helen Bailey and Cathy Elkies at Christie's for information on the limited edition.)