Early on in her career, she was often labeled “the most beautiful woman in the world.” This might have played havoc with the mind of a lesser mortal; for Brigitte Bardot, forever typecast as the blonde bombshell, it was all in a day’s work. Throughout her illustrious career, she acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She became a muse for the likes of Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, and Pierre Cardin. And she was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration, in 1985, ten years after retiring at age 40 to pursue a “more meaningful life” out of the withering glare of the press, when she could have continued to shine on the silver screen.

Bardot appears to be having a major moment in 2025. Sabrina Carpenter’s new Vogue Italia cover shoot, shot by fashion photographer Steven Meisel, was clearly influenced by the legendary actress’s ’60s-era glamour. And two new art books pay tribute to her considerable legacy. Being Bardot, published by ACC Art Books, features photography by Douglas Kirkland and Terry O’Neill, who took some of the most iconic images of the actress ever captured on film; while Brigitte Bardot: Intimate, from Assouline, showcases never-before-published photos by her longtime friend Glislain “Jicky” Dussart. All still utterly enthralling nearly six decades later.

“In a period of just a little more than 20 years, Brigitte Bardot exploded established perceptions of beauty and femininity,” writes author James Clarke in the introduction to Being Bardot. “In doing so, she dramatically rewrote expectations around—and perhaps even established a new version of—femininity. She was a movie star and a pop-culture icon whose image was emblematic of a particular moment in time. Bardot’s film career spanned 21 years, from 1951 to 1973. Her screen performances, and the still images of her that became such a constant and vivid element of popular culture, brought a new sense of what female movie stardom could be, not only in French cinema but globally.”

Bardot’s killer looks and knockout style have been emulated by the likes of Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Lara Stone, Amy Winehouse, Georgia May Jagger, Scarlett Johansson, and Paris Hilton. Asked about her many imitators, Bardot simply sniffed, ”None have my personality.” She put Saint-Tropez on the map after filming And God Created Woman there in 1953, directed by her husband Roger Vadim, establishing such a strong connection with the Mediterranean paradise that she lives there to this day, having made it her permanent home; many of Dussart’s photographs were taken there.

Terry O’Neill created one of the most iconic images ever taken of Bardot, a photograph of her smoking a cigarette on the set of The Legend of Frenchie King in 1971.”I thought if I could get a close-up of the moment the wind blew her trademark hair into her eyes, combined with the cigarette dangling from those lips, it would capture how sexy, strong and wild her image was,” O’Neill recalls in Being Bardot. “I didn’t have many frames left, so I went in closer. The wind blew, and I clicked the shutter. I had no idea if the photo would match the image I had in my mind until the film was developed. The first time I saw these images, I got chills.” It’s safe to say that the rest of the world did, too.

On the occasion of her 90th birthday, the town of Villefranchesur-Mer, another picturesque French Riviera town she elevated to icon status, honored Bardot with a celebratory photo exhibition. “The images show her sometimes bursting with joy, sometimes introspective, but always imbued with this aura which has fascinated and still fascinates entire generations,” the exhibition noted. “Bardot’s authenticity is one of the most striking to people. Even though she was a global star, she always stayed true to who she was and did not yield to the expectations of others.”

From the very start of her career, the curators wrote, “from Paris to Saint-Tropez and via Villefranche-sur-Mer, all along her path to fame, from one film to the next, Brigitte had all the makings of a celebrity: Whether copied, scrutinized, followed, persecuted or adored, she made one successful film after another based on her sex appeal, in which she often plays a young French woman who is portrayed as wild, suave, and beautiful. Often the object—and victim— of a malicious curiosity, on screen she is revealed as a true, uninhibited and moving actress. Bardot irritated and amused her contemporaries all the more by her blatant disregard of public opinion and lack of approval of known critiques.”

Her impact on cinema, fashion, and culture cannot be overstated, all the more so because she decided to turn her back on it and devote herself to a cause close to her heart; in 1986, she founded the Fondation Brigitte Bardot to protect wild and domesticated animals. Beyond simply becoming famous, she radically altered the whole concept of female stardom. And she continues to influence and inspire generations of actresses, models, and women from all walks of life. Vive Bardot. 

This article originally appeared in Maxim magazine’s September/October 2025 issue.

“One of the things I love about motorcycles is the variety of people who are fanatics about them—you tend to have this idea of a motorcyclist as either a super trendy tatted café racing hipster, or a Sons of Anarchy denimed-up gangster.

But the truth of the matter is that people who love escaping into the hills on motorcycles are about as varied as they come,” reveals Maxim Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher, who also happens to be co-author of Assouline’s new uber-luxe The Impossible Collection of Motorcycles coffee table book. “That means that the type of motorcycles that were built to appeal to these passionate riders over the past 150 years are about as varied as Ben & Jerry’s.”

For the second edition of The Impossible Collection of Motorcycles, Stecher and co-author Ian Barry added ten new 21st-century bikes to the hundred they collected for the first edition, which focused on the previous century.

Featuring only the rarest, coolest, and most pivotal motorcycles since 1900, this new edition adds to Assouline’s vaunted Impossible Collection series, which has previously shined a light on everything from wines to Patek Philippe timepieces to even Formula One cars—which also happens to be included in our Ferrari F1 feature in Maxim’s September/October issue.

And these aren’t just routine coffee table books, mind you. They’re massive in scale (16 x 19 inches), and boast beautiful time-consuming and rare printing techniques such as hand-tipped images and hand-binding; the 170 images come presented on thick, archival-quality cotton paper with a PVC clamshell case and metal plaque.

With Barry’s pedigree designing and building museum-level custom bikes under the Falcon Motorcycles marque, and our esteemed editor’s long history in automotive journalism, the hundred bikes assembled here are each a gem worthy of the book’s title. Consider Evel Knievel’s famed Harley-Davidson XR750 on which he leapt over the Caesars Palace fountains, breaking countless bones upon impact when his jump fell awry.

Or early unicorns of engineering, such as Glenn Curtiss’s iconic 1907 V8, for which the famed aviator impossibly bolted a massive 4.4-liter V8 engine onto essentially a glorified bicycle frame to create a true spectacle of mechanical force. Hitting 136 mph, the Curtiss V8 shattered the land speed record and held it for decades.

But which is our deputy editor’s favorite? “That’s a tough one,” Stecher struggles, seemingly running through the hundred motorcycles in his mind. “I’d say my two favorites are the BMW R7, which graces the cover—an unbelievable one-off specimen of German engineering and art-deco design that was thought lost for nearly 70 years until discovered in 2005 in a BMW warehouse. What a story, and what a bike. And maybe the Britten V1000—a superbike entirely designed and built by a New Zealand madman in his garage, which beat factory teams with infinitely deeper wallets. That’s another thing: I really dig the visionaries behind these bikes, all of them the best kind of rogues and renegades this planet needs.”

Of course, a tome of this rare scale and quality boasts a $1,400 price tag to match. Find The Impossible Collection of Motorcycles (2nd Edition) at Assouline.com.

This article originally appeared in Maxim’s September/October 2025 issue. Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher  on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.

Richard Mille watches are near-priceless works of luxury art (witness the haute horologist’s penchant for $1 million watches and a stunning 2025 Ferrari chronograph), and that sort of artistry deserves a proper celebration. Fittingly, a new tome from luxury publisher Assouline nods to Richard Mille’s efforts in the most eye-catching way possible.

Hot on the heels of celebrating the world of Formula 1 in a luxe volume, Richard Mille: The Impossible Collection (due out May 29th and available for pre-order now via Assouline) is a stunning addition to any library, with suitable attention paid to the intricate world of Richard Mille.

Richard Mille watches have broken new ground in the field of horology for more than two decades, playing off Mille’s penchant for automobiles and aviation as far as materials and design are concerned. Richard Mille counts everyone from Jay-Z to Drake, Rafael Nadal, Ed Sheeran and Sly Stallone as fans, and has worked with the likes of Ferrari on the world’s thinnest wristwatch. The occasion, of course, deserves its own toast of sorts, as Assouline notes.

“In barely twenty-five years, Richard Mille, the “bad boy” of contemporary high horology, has succeeded in building one of the world’s most highly prized watch brands.” the publisher said, calling RM creations “rare and costly” while noting the striking collector’s pieces “possess an unusual ability to unleash an almost visceral attachment in their owners.” Assouline further adds that “today, Richard Mille watches have become the absolute symbol of success for global entrepreneurs and megastars.”

The 224-page volume clocks in at nearly 18 pounds and boasts 190 beautifully detailed illustrations alongside copy from luxury editor and writer Fabienne Reybaud, who previously headed the jewelry and watches department at Le Figaro for 25 years. More than just visually stunning, there’s plenty of science behind the artistry of Richard Mille, and this book proves that approach quite handily. Assouline notes its “watches push the boundaries of lightness, thinness and shock resistance with technologically advanced materials found in no others.”

The book, accordingly, comes with a price tag that reflects both Assouline’s craft and the boundary-pushing horological science of Richard Mille: The handsome volume is available for pre-order for $1,400 now via Assouline). If you can’t score a Richard Mille timepiece (and truly, few can lay claim to owning a masterpiece from RM), then this elegant book is perhaps the next best thing.

For most, the thrill of piloting a Formula One race car at breakneck speeds remains impossibly out of reach. Yet, for the elite cadre of twenty drivers across ten F1 teams, it’s an ultra-demanding reality. Now, a new Assouline coffee table book, Formula 1: The Impossible Collection, 2nd Edition, offers a captivating glimpse into this high-octane world, updated to mark the sport’s 75th anniversary and reflect recent shifts in power, notably Red Bull’s dominant performances.

Inspired in part by the surging popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries and the upcoming, Brad Pitt-starring feature film F1, this handcrafted volume charts Formula One’s evolution from its genteel beginnings in 1950 to its current status as a global spectacle captivating hundreds of millions of fans. And it arrives just in time for this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

The lavish coffee table tome—which clocks in at 228 oversized pages brimming with 180 images—meticulously highlights the groundbreaking technical advancements that have defined the sport, the awe-inspiring feats of its legendary drivers, and the nail-biting finishes that have etched themselves into racing history. Iconic figures who have shaped Formula One’s narrative, including Juan Manuel Fangio, Bruce McLaren, Enzo Ferrari, Colin Chapman, Bernie Ecclestone, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Jean Todt, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen, are celebrated within its pages.

More than just a chronicle of races and champions, the newly revamped Formula 1: The Impossible Collection serves as a vibrant homage to the collective passion that fuels the entire F1 ecosystem. It dynamically illustrates the dedication of the mechanics, technicians, engineers, and team directors who operate behind the scenes, alongside the unwavering commitment of the drivers themselves, who risk everything to become part of the sport’s illustrious legacy.

Assouline’s latest offering is handcrafted in a luxury yellow PVC clamshell case with metal plaque, and carries a $1,400 price tag, aimed at F1 fans and luxury book collectors alike. In the immortal words of racing icon Ayrton Senna, “You’ll never know how a driver feels when he wins a race. The helmet hides unfathomable emotions.” Check out a sneak peek at the book’s striking imagery in the slideshow above.

“Think of Biarritz, on the Bay of Biscay in southwest France, and the memory retrieves images of handsome European bluebloods and Hollywood royalty sipping cocktails and cavorting by a pool.” The quote, from the London Daily Mail, sounds like it is describing a scene from the ’60s; yet the article is of recent vintage, which neatly captures the essence of the destination: Though the name might itself might be familiar, and even quite evocative, relatively few people outside of Western Europe itself could accurately place it on a map—most likely picturing it somewhere on the Côte d’Azur.

This is, however, Basque country, which those same people will probably insist is part of (neighboring) Spain. Therein perhaps lies part of its charm; you won’t see “Biarritz” emblazoned on sweatshirts and tote bags sported by those who’ve never been near the place (hello St Barths); its devotees are rather more discreet. Which isn’t to say that Biarritz—where the likes of Pablo Picasso, the Aga Khan, Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra once frolicked—doesn’t still attract its share of celebrities; it’s just that these days they tend to leave the paparazzi behind. The choice to travel to Biarritz in the first place more than likely means one is seeking an actual vacation rather than gossip-column placement.

Nonetheless, Biarritz’s iconic Hotel du Palais, built as a private beachfront palace for Empress Eugenie by Napoleon III in 1855 and now a World of Hyatt property famous for its Michelin-rated restaurant and luxury suites, still crops up from time to time in Page Six; as do boldfaced Biarritz visitors such as Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI of Spain, Prince Harry and Megan Markle, and French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. They follow in the footsteps of the royals who originally put Biarritz on the map, as it were: Oscar II of Sweden, Leopold of Belgium, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Alfonso XIII of Spain, and Britain’s King George V, Edward VII and Queen Victoria.

More contemporary visitors include Jean-Paul Gaultier, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Zoey Deutch, Bella Hadid, and Penélope Cruz, who turned up to the most recent edition of the Biarritz Film Festival – Nouvelles Vagues in a sheer Chanel dress and five-inch stilettos. Her choice in attire was eminently appropriate, as Coco Chanel opened her first-ever couture house in Biarritz in 1915, while former Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld owned a villa in Biarritz for many years, calling it one of the most beautiful places in the world. He liked to say that, “Not one ugly thing can I see from my house.”

These days the likes of model Tina Kunakey, a Biarritz native who was formerly married to über-cool French film star Vincent Cassel, can be seen dancing at her favorite boîte Bar de la Plage after a long day spent surfing and lounging on the beach. Biarritz’s location on the Bay of Biscay in the northeast Atlantic Ocean makes for epic waves—it’s credited as the birthplace of surfing in France, a reputation it earned after an actor filming the 1950s screen adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises first dipped a longboard into the breakers at the Plage de la Côte des Basques. Biarritz has since hosted the French national surfing championships 11 times as well as three world championships (most recently in 2019), was a stopover on the professional world surfing tour in the ’80s and ’90s, and currently plays host to several annual world-class surf festivals.

If, after reading this, you’re already planning a trip to Biarritz of your own, be sure to book that suite at the Hotel du Palais right away. A few months ago, French luxury publisher Assouline brought out Biarritz Basque, a tribute to the debonair destination in luxe coffee table book form, shortly after Vogue announced that “Biarritz is set to be this summer’s buzziest resort town.” “Biarritz is a way of life,” author and lifelong habitué of the locale Frédéric Beigbeder declares in the Assouline book. “Some people call it style. I call it happiness.” The Basques, he notes, “are not tetchy, like the Corsicans, but cheeky, hedonistic, musical, direct. They laugh loudly. Seriousness is badly thought of here, as are know-it-alls, hypocrites, and poseurs. If you’re looking for bling, go back to Cannes: You’ve docked at the wrong port. The entire world knows that Basque is, first and foremost, an art de vivre.”

Not that there hasn’t always been plenty of money here; that just wasn’t ever its raison d’être. “Biarritz was one of the great bathing stations of the Belle Epoque but also, and above all, of the Roaring Twenties,” Beigbeder writes. “That’s when the phrase ‘Cote d’Argent’ (Silver Coast) was first coined, though I don’t know if it refers to the color of the sky or the financial resources of the local aristocrats. These two decades forged Biarritz’s original style, which mixes Art Deco with… any old thing. There are villas built to look like castles, Russian churches, imperial palaces, Norman houses with their multicolored timbering, seven golf courses, psychedelic buildings, a casino, pincho bars, an old fishing port, surfing beaches, and even an aquarium and a lighthouse farther off, which helps late-night revelers orient themselves when they leave Opiom”– the most famous and exclusive nightclub in town.

“There is nothing more pleasant in this world” Beigbeder writes, than admiring the iconic Villa Belza—a fairytale castle perched on the rocks which was once home to a Russian cabaret called Le Chateau Basque—“while gently sipping a Porn Star Martini at Eden Rock, the bar perched on the cliffs, in the old port of Biarritz. The Belza hosted exotic parties in the 1920s: One could dance the Charleston with a gorilla, a boa constrictor, and a Cossack choir,” while rubbing elbows with the likes of Coco Chanel and the Windsors. Biarritz, he proclaims, “is often trendy, which means, also, sometimes out of fashion. At the moment, it’s in favor, but genuine snobbery means having loved the town when it was not cool to do so.” And today, regardless of the vagaries of the press, “Biarritz attracts the whole world.” 

The impressive volume joins Assouline’s illustrious roster spanning everything from the world’s most expensive cars to the style of James Bond and Italian-American culinary mecca Carbone. And for the publisher, it’s a chance to pay homage to Moscot, an iconic company that’s deeply intertwined with the Big Apple.

“You’re not just putting on a pair of eyeglasses when you wear a MOSCOT; you’re putting on a slice of history of downtown New York City,” said Chief Designer and fifth-generation eyewear designer Zach Moscot. The tome covers the entire Moscot story, dating back to the company’s humble roots operating out of a Lower East Side pushcart.

Of the lavish and beautifully crafted 304-page volume, which boasts more than 300 illustrations, Zach Moscot says that “this book embodies everything MOSCOT stands for: History, style, and a deep connection to New York City.” The accompanying text should suitably reflect those roots, with copy from former Time columnist Joel Stein.

The company’s enduring legacy is reflected in bold frame shapes and a distinctive design aesthetic that’s been celebrated in recent years via collaborations with the likes of famed New York City designer Todd Snyder. The luxe book also celebrates fans of the brand, like Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr., and features vivid imagery of time-honored styles like the Moscot LEMTOSH frames.

Assouline calls the $120 volume “a must-have for eyewear tnthusiasts, design aficionados, and lovers of New York City history.” Imagery spans the entire Moscot archive and chronicles its evolution into a fashion week and runway staple, filled with bold personality and of course, more than a dash of style. Adorned in the company’s vibrant shade of yellow, the book is almost as striking as Moscot frames with accompanying imagery to match.

Carbone, the Italian-American red sauce mecca that launched in Greenwich Village in 2013, has long been one of New York City’s toughest reservations. The intimate eatery’s enduring popularity is owed as much to signature dishes like spicy vodka rigatoni and veal parmesan as its retro fever dream vibe fueled by red-tuxedoed servers who toss Caesar salads and flambée Bananas Foster tableside, black-and-white flooring inspired by a scene from The Godfather, and a dining room soundtrack worthy of Goodfellas. The scarcity of reservations—reliably an irresistible draw for heatseeking NYC diners—has incited everything from New Yorker think pieces about how to score a table to Carbone outposts sprouting up in Miami, Las Vegas and Dallas. (Major Food Group, the fine dining juggernaut that operates Carbone, has since opened more than 40 restaurants and private clubs, including Torrisi, ZZ’s Club and Sadelle’s.)

And now, Carbone has its very own cookbook, published by the luxe coffee table tome specialists at Assouline in collaboration with the trio behind Major Food Group—Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick and Rich Torrisi, with assistance from writer Gabe Ulla. More than a dozen never-before-seen recipes for Carbone favorites are represented, including this linguine vongole that will absolutely upgrade your next attempt at making linguine with clams. While sourcing razor and manila clams along with traditional littlenecks at your local fishmonger may prove challenging, the rich and saucy recipe yields an impressive depth of bold flavors, with an extra jolt of heat thanks to slices of fiery Italian long hot pepper.

“Our vongole is a festival of clams, each with its own distinct texture, flavor, personality,” reads the Carbone cookbook recipe description. “In the Carbone rendition, chopped littlenecks and razors are marinated in an oreganata-style vinaigrette and introduced only after the linguine has been cooked and the clams have steamed open. We keep the slices of long hot pepper here large so that the diner can easily remove them if that’s not their thing. But we strongly believe in serving the dish ‘juicy,’ in a pool of sauce, so the pasta takes on more flavor as you go. Then, at the end, you can take a piece of bread and clean your plate.”

Linguine Vongole By Carbone

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling time

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Onion Confit

• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 bay leaf, broken in half
• 1 whole garlic clove, smashed

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook over low heat, covered. Stir occasionally, until the onions are fully soft, but not browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Discard the bay leaf pieces and garlic. This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Oreganata-Marinated Clams

• 1 cup water
• 2 pounds littleneck clams, scrubbed clean
• 8 ounces razor clams, scrubbed clean
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

1. In a large sauté pan, simmer 1 cup of water with a steamer insert. Add the littleneck clams, cover the pot, and cook until clams open, 4 to 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the clams to a bowl; let cool. Repeat with the razor clams, cooking until clams open, 4 to 5 minutes. Combine the clams and let cool completely in the bowl.

2. Reserve the clam cooking liquid left in the saucepan, and strain through a strainer lined with a coffee filter to remove any sediment. Measure 1 cup of the clam juice, discarding the rest. 

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to turn light golden at the edges. Stir in the parsley and oregano, and cook until fragrant and sizzling, 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let the oreganata cool completely.

4. Remove the meat from the cooled clams, discarding the shells. Cut the razor clam meat into bite-size pieces. Combine the clam meat with the cooled oreganata.

To Serve

• 1 pound dried linguine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 green Italian long hot pepper, cut into 3/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves, finely chopped or food-processed
• 1 teaspoon crushed Calabrian chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Sicilian
• 2 dozen Manila clams, scrubbed cleaned
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup reserved clam juice
• 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 10 to 11 minutes, or according to the package directions.

2. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the peppers, finely chopped garlic, chili flakes, and oregano, and cook until slightly softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Onion Confit, lightly drained. Add the fresh Manila clams and wine together and immediately cover the pan. Cook until the clams are all open, 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover and pour in the reserved cup of clam juice. Stir to combine and return to a simmer.

3. Drain the cooked pasta and immediately add it to the cooked clams, removing the pan from the heat. Add the Oreganata-Marinated Clams, tossing everything together to warm up, keeping the pan off the heat, for about 1 more minute. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

Notes & Substitutions:

• The clam juice can be reserved in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• The Oreganata-Marinated Clams can be made in advance and stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days

“When my love of tennis started, I was a ball kid in my hometown of Basel. I used to watch the players with a sense of wonder. They were like giants to me and I began to dream. My dreams led me to work harder and I started to believe in myself. Some success brought me confidence and I was on my way to the most amazing journey that has led to this day. So, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart, to everyone around the world who has helped make the dreams of a young Swiss ball kid come true.”

So signed off Roger Federer in a public letter to the global tennis community on September 15, 2022. The so-called “Swiss Maestro” had competed in 1,526 singles and 224 doubles matches, won 20 Grand Slam titles, spent 310 weeks atop the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings and won multiple Olympic medals for Switzerland. As the eldest member of “The Big Three” at age 43—the other two being Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—he kicked off the trio’s two decade’s worth of collective dominance with a championship win at Wimbledon in 2003. While fans will cite Djokovic’s 24 and Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles while debating which is the tennis’s GOAT, Federer has a leg-up on all past, present and perhaps future racket-wielding stars by one crucial metric: He’s the highest-paid tennis player of all time by far.

A 2022 report from Forbes estimates that Federer has netted a gobsmacking $1.1 billion throughout his career before taxes and agents’ fees—more than twice Nadal’s $500 million and Djokovic’s $470 million. The $130 million in prize money is fractional compared to what he’s earned in endorsements, the largest of which is a 10-year, $300 million contract with Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo that he signed in 2018. Mercedes-Benz, Moët & Chandon, Oliver Peoples, Rolex and NetJets are just a few of the other impressive sponsorship deals the bankable athlete inked between sweatdrenched sets on the tennis world’s biggest stages.

Federer is also the only one of his peers to be honored with a stunning new pictorial retrospective from book publisher Assouline. Authored by veteran sportswriter Doris Henkel, who attended 30 of his 31 Grand Slam finals, Federer covers his beginnings as a ball boy in Basel, Switzerland, to his 2022 retirement at the Laver Cup London—a tournament inspired by golf ’s Ryder Cup that Federer co-founded—and all the aces in between. Daunting as it may seem to break down the critical facets of such a monumental figure, the 16-chapter tome manages to do so concisely and thoroughly, thanks to thoughtfully written chunks of text accompanied by an abundance of wonderfully illustrative archival photos.

“Family First” kicks things off with a brief analysis of the role his wife of 15 years, former top-100-ranked tennis player Miroslava “Mirka” Federer, and their two sets of twins played as a fixture of his support system on the circuit. Fed’s hardest-core fans will likely be drawn to the sections detailing his triumphs and tribulations at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments. “Wimbledon has meant so much to me,” Federer says of the sport’s most famous event in the eponymously named chapter. “I will never forget the very first moment stepping onto center court against [Pete]Sampras. Wimbledon has always been my favorite—all of my heroes have been there.”

Another section in the visual biography discusses the almost unprecedented reverence he’s been shown by his home country—Federer became the first living person to be commemorated on a Swiss coin in 2019 after winning his last ATP title at that year’s Swiss Indoors tournament. In part, that nationwide pride in Federer was earned through his gold and silver medal-winning performances across four installments of the Olympic Games, which are also highlighted in the book. Of Federer’s final, second-place finish at London 2012, Henkel writes, “There was another podium and another much-cherished Olympic medal around his neck, a different shade to add to his collection.”

Federer’s friendships with fellow über-famous figures (Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Michael Schumacher, Lindsey Vonn) and endorsement deals with the aforementioned high-end watchmakers, automotive marques, Champagne brands and fashion labels are also examined. But if the man himself were to direct readers to just one of these sections, it’d likely be the one about the Roger Federer Foundation. Through this nonprofit launched in 2003, a staggering $90 million has been raised in support of educational projects for preschoolers in Switzerland and South Africa. In keeping with that philanthropic spirit, all his proceeds from the sale of “Federer” will benefit the foundation. Prices start at $120, but those in an especially charitable mood can pick up one of 200 Fed-autographed “Ultimate” editions for $2,000.

That the release takes place on James Bond Day is a fitting tribute to the iconic super spy, and the volume joins Assouline’s 007-centric 2023 tome James Bond Destinations. Text hails from Academy-Award-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming, who worked on five Bond films, while the volume itself covers all 26 thrilling James Bond movies.

A cadre of costume designers, along with the men who’ve played Bond, offer exclusive insights and access into the making of arguably the most covetable wardrobe on the big screen, which lately features suiting and sunglasses from the likes of Tom Ford, plus an enviable rotation of Omega watches.

Intriguing facts and figures abound in the volume itself. For instance: No fewer than 33 bespoke Tom Ford tuxedos were made for Daniel Craig in No Time To Die, while Prada fabricated twenty dresses for Olga Kurylenko in underrated 2008 film Quantum of Solace.

The publisher notes that “no book in history has chronicled the sartorial aspect of the Bond franchise as comprehensively,” with plenty of jealousy-inducing outfits on display in the lush text.

Of the text, which flows in chronological order across the decades and each iteration of the MI6 spy, the publisher said that “these anecdotes reveal the sheer scale of the business that is Bond style,” and follows on the heels of last year’s bestseller chronicling the many iconic destinations of James Bond himself. For $120 starting next week, a glimpse into the world of 007 is yours to take.

Aspiring collectors and gearheads with discerning tastes should take note of the latest automotive tome from luxury book publisher Assouline. The title—Rare Cars –The World’s Most Exclusive Rides—tells readers exactly what to expect from this handsome coffee table book, which is elegantly presented in a luxe metal clamshell lined with hand-stitched Italian leather.

Across and 203 illustrations and 304 pages penned by Road & Track editor-at-large A.J. Baime, you’ll find the one-of-two 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé—a $143 million prototype that became the world’s most expensive car in 2022. Another entry is dedicated to the Ferrari 250 GTO, which reigns as the world’s most expensive production car. The highest confirmed auction sale for the in-demand Prancing Horse is $51.7 million, but the book cites the harder-to-confirm $70 million private sale—not that it matters currently, as both surpass every other production car sales record.

Of course, monetary value isn’t the point; it’s just a byproduct of the impact these machines have made. There’s the paradigm-shifting McLaren F1, proclaimed by many to be the “greatest supercar of all time” and the first made of carbon fiber. The lesser-known W Motors Lykan HyperSport is no less impressive in its own right. Named after a species of werewolf, the one-of-seven hypercar’s diamond-inset LED headlights and mesmerizing swan doors gave it enough visual intrigue to earn a starring role in Furious 7—one still runs around on real roadways as part of the Abu Dhabi police department. The Pagani Zonda HP Barchetta, as Baime noted, was not only the most powerful version of Horacio Pagani’s first hypercar, but so exclusive that outlets worldwide picked up news of a crashed example in 2022.

“The cars in this book are masterpieces in the way works of art can be masterpieces,” Baime writes. “Only these art pieces are animate. They can provide joy like no Michelangelo ever could.”

True to the exorbitantly-priced autos within, Rare Cars is available now for the decidedly decadent price of $2,500 per book.