8 Most Beautiful Assouline Travel Series books

There are books you read, and there are books you property. An Assouline Travel Series title falls into the second category. For those unfamiliar with the publishing house, Assouline was founded in Paris in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline, and has since made the luxury coffee table book its own genre. The Travel Series - now grown to more than eighty destinations worldwide - is their largest and most influential series. Moreover, it is the series to which many other publishers try to match, usually with less success.

An Assouline Travel book is not a travel guide. You can't travel on it; you won't find restaurant addresses or flight information. What you do find is a portrait of a place - captured by photographers who work there, described by writers who live there, illustrated with archival photos that tell its history. In this article, I select the seven finest titles that capture European summer in all its manifestations - from Iberian bohemia to Cyclades blue, from French jet-set to Atlantic tranquility.

What makes the Assouline Travel Series different?

Before we get to the books themselves, briefly this: why are these books so recognizable and so sought after? The answer lies in a number of conscious choices that Assouline sustained for three decades.

First of all, the physical quality. An Assouline Travel book is heavy - literally. Cloth cover, cardboard case, premium paper with a matte finish. When you hold the book you feel it is more than paper and ink; it is an object. On a coffee table, an Assouline title doesn't just lie there - it claims its place.

In addition, the editorial approach. Assouline opts for a hybrid form: personal essays by people who inhabit the place, combined with archival material and contemporary photography. The effect is that you don't read about a destination, but that you get a feel for what it is to be there.

And finally the status signal. An Assouline on the coffee table says something - not just about travel, but about taste. It is the visual counterpart of a good clothing brand: not loud, but recognizable to those who recognize it.

From my work as a book buyer at Coffee table books.com I have a deep appreciation for publishers who take the book as an object seriously. Assouline is among the very best in that - their production values are the benchmark against which the entire industry measures itself. Here are the seven Travel Series titles I would most recommend for the European summer.

Iberian summers: hippie movements and Costa del Sol

We begin on the Spanish side of the Mediterranean basin - an area where two very different vacation cultures coexist: the bohemian heritage of Ibiza and the glamorous Marbella of the Costa del Sol.

1. Ibiza Bohemia

For those who know Ibiza only as a destination for summer clubs, the coffee table book is Ibiza Bohemia a correction. Long before Pacha and Amnesia, Ibiza was the haven of painters, writers and spiritual seekers - a Spanish island where the 1960s and 1970s were anchored in a specific kind of freedom. Author Renu Kashyap takes you past the white fincas, the secret coves, the hippie markets of Las Dalias and the philosophy of life that still resonates on the island. The photography is exceptional - Conde Nast Traveler photographers provide images that capture the Ibiza light in its full glory. For those who want to understand why Ibiza more than a celebration, this is the standard work.

2. Marbella Sol

Marbella has a reputation that hangs somewhere between elegant and overdone - and its image is no longer accurate. The coffee table book Marbella Sol portrays the Costa del Sol city as it has become in reality: a sophisticated haven for European aristocracy and international capital, with the Marbella Club as its historical centerpiece. The book follows the history of Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, who opened the Marbella Club in 1954, inventing the city's jet-set formula. Tall linen edition, ochre and blue as the color palette, images of Puerto Banús alongside portraits of residents who have lived there for generations. A book that brings Marbella back to its best self.

French coast: Riviera mythology and Atlantic identity

We cross the border into France - a country where two very different coastal cultures exist: the Mediterranean jet-set of Saint-Tropez and the Atlantic, Basque identity of Biarritz.

3. Saint-Tropez Soleil

No place has shaped postwar French summer mythology as much as Saint-Tropez. It was a fishing village until Brigitte Bardot visited it in 1956. Et Dieu... créa la femme recording - from then on, Saint-Tropez was the capital of a French summer longing that the whole world has come to share. The coffee table book Saint-Tropez Soleil celebrates this history with archival photographs of Bardot, Françoise Sagan and the Riviera elite, combined with contemporary images of Pampelonne beaches, the Place des Lices and the marina. Author Simon Liberati provides essays that do the city justice - not as a tourist destination, but as a cultural phenomenon.

4. Biarritz Basque

On the other coast of France lies a world that is equally French yet fundamentally different. Biarritz is the Atlantic side of the French summer feeling - Belle Epoque grandeur, Basque culture, surf culture and a rawer ocean than the gentle Mediterranean. The coffee table book Biarritz Basque portrays this hybrid identity: it was the favorite seaside resort of Empress Eugénie and King Edward VII, it became the cradle of European surfing in the 1950s, and it carries an unmistakable Basque character today. For those who have had enough of the sunny south and want to discover the Atlantic version of European luxury, this is an indispensable title.

Greek Islands: Cyclades blue and island culture

No European summer portrait is complete without the Aegean Sea. Two Assouline titles capture the Greek islands from different angles - one focused on the most iconic island, one panoramic over the entire archipelago.

5. Mykonos Muse

Mykonos has been the Greek island of the jet set since the 1960s, and the coffee table book Mykonos Muse celebrates that history without drowning in it. Author Lizy Manola was born and raised on the island - an important detail because the book never feels like an outsider's view. White houses against Cyclades-blue sea, windmills of Chora, traditional bakeries alongside new couture boutiques, and an emphasis on the island's spiritual and mythological layers (Mykonos was sacred in ancient times because of its proximity to Delos, birthplace of Apollo). The color palette - white, indigo, coral red - is exceptionally well chosen.

6. Greek Islands

For those who find Mykonos alone insufficient to capture Greek island culture, the coffee-table book is Greek Islands the wider panorama. Author Chrysanthos Panas takes you past Santorini, Hydra, Patmos, Antiparos, Spetses and the lesser-known islands where the Greek intelligentsia spends summers. The book does justice to the geographical and cultural diversity of the archipelago: Hydra with its colony of painters, Patmos with its monastic tranquility, Santorini with its theatrical geology. For the island romantic who wants to discover the Aegean in its full scope, this is the reference book.

Atlantic defection: Portuguese tranquility beyond the Mediterranean Sea

We conclude the European summer tour with a destination that, geographically as well as culturally, is the exception to this list. Portugal faces not the Mediterranean but the Atlantic Ocean, and the summer feeling there is substantially different: cooler light, higher waves, a rougher landscape, and a specific kind of simple luxury that stands out from Mediterranean glamour. For those who have had enough of the hustle and bustle of Mykonos or the Costa del Sol, Portugal offers a haven increasingly discovered by European artists, architects and fashion designers.

7. Comporta Bliss

We close with a destination that until recently was barely known outside a select European audience. Comporta lies on Portugal's Atlantic coast, an hour south of Lisbon - an area of pine trees, rice fields, pristine beaches and a specific kind of simple luxury where Christian Louboutin, Madonna and the French art world seek refuge. The coffee table book Comporta Bliss captures the unpolished character of the place: wooden houses with thatched roofs, horses walking on the beach, a coastal landscape that is strikingly different from the Mediterranean idea of a summer destination. For those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the other six destinations on this list is Comporta Bliss the natural choice.

Italian coast: Versilia and Tuscan summer

Between the French Riviera and the Greek islands lies an Italian coastline that is hardly known to tourists outside Italy, but for Italians themselves is the summer resort of choice: the Versilia coast of Tuscany.

8. Forte dei Marmi

Forte dei Marmi is no Capri, no Amalfi, no Portofino - and therein lies precisely its strength. The summer destination of Italy's industrial elite (Agnelli, Berlusconi, Versace) since the 1920s, this Tuscan coastal village bears a character that is at once discreet and unmistakably luxurious. The coffee table book Forte dei Marmi portrays the Versilia summer in its full uniqueness: miles of umbrella beaches where every family has its regular spot, nearby Pietrasanta with its marble workshops and art galleries, and the shady pine forests that separate the coast from the hinterland. The photography captures the specific Tuscan summer light - softer than the Mediterranean heat of the south, with golden sunsets silhouetting the Apuan mountains behind the city. For those who know Italian summer beyond the iconic clichés of Capri and Amalfi, this is an indispensable title.

Which one do you choose?

Seven books is a lot - though I completely understand if you're considering collecting them all, because as a set they form a wonderful portrait of European summer in all its manifestations. A few suggestions based on where you're leaning:

For the island romantic: Mykonos Muse + Greek Islands + Ibiza Bohemia
For the glamour-seeker: Saint-Tropez Soleil + Marbella Sol
For the off-the-radar traveler: Comporta Bliss + Biarritz Basque
As a gift for an Assouline collector: any title works - choose the destination that is personally relevant
As interior installation: all seven side by side on the coffee table or in a bookcase - the color palettes of the covers combine to form a striking visual whole

For those interested in discovering more Assouline Travel Series titles - think Capri Dolce Vita, Lake Como Idyll, Sardinia, Mallorca, Tulum Gypset and dozens of other destinations worldwide - please refer to our complete Assouline Collection. And specifically for those who want to discover the Italian summer: also read our article on the best coffee table books about Italy, which covers Capri and the Amalfi Coast in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Assouline Travel Series? The Assouline Travel Series is a collection of luxury coffee-table books by Assouline Publishers, founded in 1994 by Prosper and Martine Assouline in Paris. The series now includes more than eighty destinations worldwide and portrays each location through a combination of personal essays, archival photography and contemporary images. Features include linen covers, cardboard cases and premium paper - each book is as much an object as a reading copy.

How much does an Assouline coffee table book cost? Assouline's Travel Series titles are typically between €100 and €120 each, with some exceptions upward (limited editions or larger formats may cost €200-€500). The price reflects both the production costs - premium paper, linen cover, slipcase - and the editorial commitment (specialized authors and photographers per destination). Check current prices in our Assouline Collection.

What Assouline Travel Series books are there about Europe? Assouline has an extensive European selection within the Travel Series, including Ibiza Bohemia, Marbella Sol, Saint-Tropez Soleil, Biarritz Basque, Mykonos Muse, Greek Islands, Comporta Bliss, Capri Dolce Vita, Lake Como Idyll, Tuscany Marvel and titles about Paris, Venice and the British countryside. The series expands annually to include new European destinations.

Is an Assouline book a good gift? An Assouline coffee table book is an exceptional gift for those who love travel, photography or design. The physical quality - linen cover, slipcase, premium paper - makes each book an object of visible effort to choose. Choose a title that ties in with a destination that the recipient has a personal connection to (a beloved vacation destination, a honeymoon, a dream destination) for maximum impact. The price range (€100-€120) makes it an appropriate gift for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Day and Christmas.

Which Assouline Travel Series title is best known? Ibiza Bohemia and Capri Dolce Vita are among the best-selling titles in the Travel Series, due to the iconic status of both destinations and the crossover between travel, fashion and culture. Saint-Tropez Soleil and Mykonos Muse are also very popular titles, especially as gift purchases. For those approaching the series as a collector's item, each title stands alone, but together they form a distinctive library whole.

By: Martijn Meyer