Product is from the following collection: The Ultimate Collection

Vatican: A Private Visit to a Secret World

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$1,200

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More than just an enclave within the city of Rome, the Vatican is a complex city-state that for many people still conjures up notions of secrecy. The Vatican has always...

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Caroline Pigozzi, a former student of the New York University School of Journalism, is a Franco- Italian writer, journalist and major reporter for Paris Match and a Vaticanologist. A winner of the Prix de la Fondation Mumm for the written press and a recipient of a médaille de vermeil from the Académie Française, she is the author of best-selling books including Le Pape en Privé (Nil), Jacques et Bernadette en privé (Robert Laffont), Le Vatican indiscret (Plon), Les Photos secrètes du Vatican with Giovanni Maria Vian (Gründ, Plon), Les Photos insolites des Présidents de la Vème République and Les Photos insolites de Charles de Gaulle with Philippe Goulliaud (Gründ-Plon), François en poche (Cherche Midi) and Pourquoi Eux (Plon), which have been translated into multiple languages.

Giovanni Maria Vian is full professor of Patristic Philology at La Sapienza University in Rome. A member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, Vian has also served as editor in chief of the Holy See’s newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, 2007–18. As a respected scholar, historian and journalist, Vian has contributed many articles and essays on Christian history and the contemporary papacy to numerous publications, and he has edited texts of Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) and Pope Francis. His recent books include Pablo VI, un cristiano del siglo XX (Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2020), Andare per la Roma dei papi (Il Mulino, 2020) and I libri di Dio: Breve storia dei testi cristiani (Carocci, 2020), translated in French (Salvator, 2022), and Il papa senza corona: Vita e morte di Giovanni Paolo I (Carocci, 2022), translated in Spanish (Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 2022).

The Ultimate Collection

Vatican: A Private Visit to a Secret World

$1,200

As a mere promenade, St Peter’s is unequalled. It is better than the Boulevards, than Piccadilly or Broadway, and if it were not the most beautiful place in the world, it would be the most entertaining.

— Henry James, Transatlantic Sketches, 1873

In the details

Ultimate Collection curates culture from around the world and across the ages. Hand-bound using traditional techniques, with color plates hand-tipped on art-quality paper, each page of this limited-edition series bears the unique imprint of the artisan.

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In the details

Each purchase comes with complimentary white handling gloves and our signature tote bag.

Page count

242 pages

Number of illustrations

200

Language

English

Released on

November 2022

Dimensions

W 15.7 x L 19 x D 3.2 in

Cover materials

Handcrafted volume in a velvet clamshell
case with metal plate tip-on

ISBN

9781649800404

Weight

21.4 lb

Text by Caroline Pigozzi and Giovanni Maria Vian

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one tree planted

Since 2019, Assouline has partnered with the non-profit organization One Tree Planted in their joint mission to create a more sustainable world. Through this partnership, Assouline plants one tree for every book sold. Once these trees reach maturity, Assouline aims to create a sustainable cycle by sourcing paper from the trees it has planted.

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Ultimate Gift Wrapping

Assouline signature gift wrapping is available. When this option is selected, books are wrapped in a special white matte gift wrapping paper – sourced specifically by the Assouline family for an authentic approach and sealed with the brand’s signature red wax seal for the final touch of luxury.

THE ART OF LUXURY BOOKMAKING

Since its beginnings in 1994, Assouline has been dedicated to creating books that are as informational as they are beautiful works of art. The respect for the product and the process of creation is evident in every facet – the traditional technique of hand-binding covers, the imagery that transports the reader to another place and time, the luxurious thickness of each page.

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THE ULTIMATE TOWER

Assouline’s Ultimate Tower serves as a stylish new way for our readers to prominently display our most iconic collection. Crafted in a matte-black metal with the Assouline logo engraved on front of its base, the stand is capable of holding ten Assouline Ultimate titles and is a must-have for every culture connoisseur.

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