Let's get my one complaint out of the way right off; there's not enough coverage, for my own personal preference, of the couture that really made Dior what it is - the dazzling "New Look" dresses of the house's founder, Christian Dior himself, from 1947 to 1957. To my own way of thinking, even Yves St. Laurent pales beside the master, and there should have been more on the "golden age" (to steal the title of another recent book on the general subject).
All the same, overall this is a splendid book. It's one of the biggest and heaviest I've ever seen; this is a genuine coffee-table book, not something you can casually cart around for subway reading. I don't know just what the $1,500 "special edition" entails, but the regular edition is very high-quality by itself. The oversize format, which I always think is suitable for books on this topic, allows for really detailed, high-quality photography (the dust-jacket photograph is a perfect case in point; you can literally see the tiny "D"'s on the buttons), and you get lots of closeups and full views both of the various outfits. Notwithstanding my grumble in the previous paragraph, what the reader will find here is a good overview of the 60-year history of possibly the most renowned haute-couture design house in the world. Hefty price, but recommended for anyone with a serious interest in the field.