Barbra Streisand as seen by Steve Schapiro and Lawrence Schiller

When an XXL publisher puts out a book about a pop icon, Barbra Streisand, it draws on mostly unpublished photos from two American photojournalists.

In 1970, Barbra Streisand published in Life magazine an article titled "Who am I, anyway?" That's the same question that two of the era's great photojournalists, Steve Schapiro and Lawrence Schiller, asked her in turn — photographing her during her first nine years in Hollywood and seeking to see past appearances to capture the "real Barbra." Taschen did the rest.

Taschen publishes an XXL book

First released in 2014, the book, simply titled "", has out-of-the-ordinary specs. A true art object, the book is printed in 1,200 copies, signed by the authors and numbered. It also has dimensions to match its price: 44.7 × 16.8 × 56.8 cm and €500.

The authors are as illustrious as their subject: &

Steve Schapiro

An American photojournalist specialising in celebrity portraiture, Steve Schapiro was born in 1934 in New York. This isn't his first foray into large-format books — see for instance the 2010 volume available for a little under €1,000. Steve Schapiro is also well known for his book .

Lawrence Schiller

Lawrence Schiller, also American and a New Yorker by origin, was born in 1936. A man with many strings to his bow: besides photography, he is known as a producer, director, screenwriter and editor. We owe him in particular a book with a dreamy title:

The 2016 edition of Barbra Streisand

For the 2016 edition, out on 27 September, Taschen goes smaller — and, above all, makes the book accessible to every budget. So for a few dozen euros, you can discover black-and-white and colour images of this great singer.

More about the Barbra Streisand, Steve Schapiro and Lawrence Schiller movement

Barbra Streisand: her bio. Steve Schapiro: his bio. Lawrence Schiller: his bio. Barbra Streisand: Steve Schapiro: Lawrence Schiller: