H.R. Giger: Alien Tagebuecher / Diaries

For a $100 collectors book it arrived poorly packed in a cardboard box within which it slides around with no bubble wrap or padding. Edges were damaged, cover indented and spine slightly punctured. I would have given it 4 stars otherwise; I love the book itself but more love could have been put into the quality of the finish of the black exterior.Update- the replacement came even more poorly packaged in only a bubble wrap envelope and, once again, damaged even more severely than the first one.

I'm a major fan of Giger's art and the film Alien, so this was a must-have for me and I'm not disappointed. What you're looking at are the two personal diaries that Giger kept during the production of Alien, revealing his personal thoughts and struggles along with some Polaroids he kept in pages and various drawings and sketches. At 600+ pages you might think there's a lot to offer in the book but it's a little deceptive, the book is presented in three different sections:1. High quality photos of the actual diaries and their pages, printed on thick matte paper in color.2. Transcripts of Giger's handwriting and translations from German to English, printed on thin tissue paper.3. High quality photos from Giger's on personal collection, printed on glossy paper.What this adds up to is a lot of retreading of the same material over three times. Most of the diaries is just Giger's handwriting, so there isn't much to look at unless you read German, Polaroids and sketches are pretty few and far between. Half of the tissue paper sections (the left hand pages) are just literal transcripts in German so again, if you don't speak German you'll just skip over it. On the right hand side you have the English translations for every page which is fantastic and that's the bulk of the content for an English-only speaker. Also many of the photos within the book I've never seen before, so it's some cool behind the scenes stuff.The book isn't really about Alien, but more of what Giger had to go through to bring his creature alive. You get an insight into Giger's frustration when he has to change his designs because of Ridley Scott or Fox not approving them, people not listening to him or having to work with slow craftsmen that weren't up to Giger's work standard. You also get an emotional feel for Giger as he constantly misses his homeland, friends and family and his faith in the film project and his work; he has constant doubts but it's uplifting when things went his way and he was happy about his successes.A wonderful book, but definitely go into this wanting to know more about Giger himself and not the film.

High quality, excellent pictorial guide to the making of Alien and the dark musings of its Creator!

If your a fan of the legendary Sci Fi horror film Alien you will want this book. It a work/diary book which has photos and sketches from Giger. The best part is the book is translated into English (Al long as you speak English). This book is limited in production and may be hard to find. But, you can find the best prices searching Amazon.

Great look into the mind of a genius

IT IS VOLUME 7-8 ONLY AND IT WAS NOT PRESENTED THIS WAY. ALSO ITS A GERMAN/ENGLISH EDITION - UNCALLED FOR.

Gift for someone who loves H.R. Giger. Arrived in perfect condition

This book is amazing! It is literally a copy of the actual diary with translation pages. There are two cloth book marks to keep track of your place in the diary and in the translation pages. The picture of the assistant "Eddie" working on the alien hand for 2 weeks while Giger slaved away on everything else is worth the price alone!

Wonderful reading for any fan of Giger and ALIEN!Without the surealist genius of H.R. Giger there would be no ALIEN! From his biomechanic landscape, came one of the most iconic and beautiful creatures in film history. His designs, for the Alien, Space Jockey, Facehugger, Derelict and Planetoid, elevated the film to a whole new level and won him an Oscar!Measuring 25.3 X 13cm, the 660 pages include 48 B&W and 59 colour images. With a limited edition of 660, each hard cover copy is numbered. Packed with personal thoughts and details, of his often frustrating time spent working on the film, including tons of his own polaroids, sketches and other production photographs taken by Giger with his Polaroid SX70. Most of the material has never been published before. Split into two sections, with the first half in German transcription, the second half has full English translation for each page. There's even an attached and useful double bookmark included, making translating that much easier.These fascinating diaries offer an interesting and detailed glimpse into the unique mind of the Great Architect of the Alien Universe, and make for a compelling read. Certain to become a much sought after collectors item....buy one soon!

Smaller than A4 Size, 660 pages, Illustrated. H R Giger's diary notations of his stint working on the Alien Movie production at Shepperton Studios, West London 1978/79. one half of the book is in German and the other half has the English translation and makes for interesting reading for someone who is experiencing his 1st journey into Hollywood productions, the day to day hassles, triumphs and soul searching are all in this tome as well as his production notes on his Alien Monsters and set designs. a worthy addition to the Alien Movie fan's Library and collection.

The edition reproduces two HR Giger diaries from the first Alien movie production photographically, including his notes, sketches and still photographs, and the transcribed texts in both the original German and English translation. It is a gem of a book for Giger fans. Unfortunately the suggested retail price is high (110 euros) but you will come across better offers now and then. Mind you the book is much bigger than it looks and very thick. The beautiful cover can stain from dirty fingers...

Great book which beautifully shows the genius of Giger during his work on the iconic movie. A great addition to my collection of Giger books etc.

As an Alien (the film series) fan, my son loved this book.