Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life

I’ve been drooling over Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life for a few years. As coffee table books go, it’s the must-have of must-haves. And a must-have that I didn’t have—the 420-page tome weighs in at hefty 12.2 pounds and carries a steep $200 price tag. Oof, it was always too tough to rationalize taking that purchase plunge.

Now, we don’t have to: In a solid move, AMMO very recently re-released the complete collection in a slightly smaller form—for just $50.

There is a dash of cartoonish whimsy (Charley called his style “minimal realism”) that gives each of his subjects a personality. I’m so fond of animals in art, and Charley’s illustrations really bring them to life in an inspiring way.