Matthew Weiner's Mad Men XL

Madison Avenue magic: The twists, turns, and talents that make Mad Men

With its brilliant writing, spot-on acting, faultless art direction, and impeccable costume design, Mad Men is a landmark for cable television. Never before has a period series offered such compelling plotlines alongside such painstaking attention to detail and accuracy. As the show’s personal and professional machinations evolve, so too are the minutiae and the milestones of history in motion, from the shifting height of hemlines to the struggles of the civil rights movement.

This book is TASCHEN’s tribute to Mad Men’s television art. Volume 1 chronicles the show’s seven seasons with sequential stills alongside key script excerpts. From a sideways glance to a cavorting office Christmas party, each frame captivates in its masterful visual storytelling, its choreography of people, places, and situations down to the most discrete, dynamic detail.

Volume 2 brings a wealth of behind-the-scenes insights with on-set photographs, production ephemera, costume designs, notes from the writers’ room, as well as extensive and candid interviews with the show’s creator, Matt Weiner; the “Writers’ Room” (Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, Andre & Maria Jacquemetton, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tom Smuts, Carly Wray); Scott Hornbacher (executive producer and director); Phil Abraham (cinematographer and director); Chris Manley (director of photography); Dan Bishop (production and set designer); Janie Bryant (costume designer); and Jon Hamm (actor and director).

From the plot twists that took our breath away to the unforgettable outfits, from the shapes and textures of ‘60s decor to to the very real intricacies of relationships, discover the ideas, inspirations, and talents that brought human lives and human history together on the small screen.