...for young Benedikt Taschen: 18 years old + 25 square meters = TASCHEN COMICS shop in Cologne, Germany (1, 3). After years of collecting, Benedikt settles down in his own shop, selling a huge selection of new and rare collectors’ comics. Invite for the opening of the shop (2). The very first TASCHEN COMICSpublication, Sally Forth (4). …producing its own catalogs (1, 2) and welcoming some new collaborators: Ludwig Könemann (3), a brilliant young man full of fresh and unconventional ideas, responsible for worldwide distribution; Hubertus Röder (5), who takes care of administration & finance; and Michael Kriegeskorte (2, circled) in charge of design & production. Not yet 20, Benedikt (4) has big hopes and plans for the future of his company…

World record for the most expensive book published in the 20th century: Helmut Newton’s SUMO copy #1, autographed by over 80 celebrities featured in it, goes for US $ 304,000 at an auction in Berlin, giving Helmut Newton, Benedikt Taschen, and auctioneer Simon de Pury cause to celebrate (1).