SLK

by Mercedes-Benz AG, Peter Lindberg (Photographer), Springer and Jacoby (Concept)

Spiral-bound

Published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of odd books in my collection due to my many years frequenting used book shops and thrift stores all over the country, but no other book matches the mystery contained between these two brushed aluminum covers. I picked the book up at Value VIllage in Victoria, B.C., but besides it origin and its enticing (but word-lacking) contents there is little that I have been able to discern about the book. The copyright page credits Mercedes-Benz as the "publisher" as well as the photographers and design team, but it infuriatingly has no ISBN to properly track it! My suspiscion is that it was given away as a souvenir with purchase to new owners of the SLK line, which was seeing a surge in popularity and status right about the publication (1993). Its contents read kind of like a souvenir as well, citing inspirations, design aspects, and setting a moode for readers through its cleverly curated collection of photography. I quite enjoyed the style of the book (having a general interest in photography as well as loving car design too), but I do wish that they had given us some written context to embellish the imagery. Not so much explanatory per se since many of the photos speak for themselves, but some carefully placed segments by the car's designers and engineers would have added greatly to the potential narrative.