Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers [Hardcover]

Fred Woodward (Author), Jann S. Wenner (Author), Holly George-Warren (Author)

Book Description

Series: Abradale Books | Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Rolling stone magazine has been the leading chronicler of rock and roll for 30 years. For artists and entertainers, nothing is better tha Rolling Stone cover. Now the legends are collected together, from Bob Dylan to Jakob Dylan, photographed by Annie Leibowitz, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, and others. With fascinating behind-th-scenes stories and excerpts from articles and interviews, this is an evocative journey through three decades of popular music.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-A highly enjoyable romp down the memory lane of popular culture. Stunning reproductions of 773 of the magazine's covers, beginning with the first issue released in November 1967 through November 1997, highlight a variety of entertainment-industry icons from Mick Jagger (19 covers) to the Incredible Hulk (only one, so far). Within these pages readers are introduced to the early work of Annie Leibovitz, who cut her professional teeth at the publication. Other top-notch photographers, including Francesco Scavullo, Herb Ritts, and Richard Avedon, provide a study in modern portraiture. Magazine headlines and highlighted features offer an array of political and social issues spanning the past 30 years and present an impromptu history lesson. The accompanying text allows readers to follow the growth and development of a successful periodical from its humble beginnings to its current status as a journalistic giant. Young adults will enjoy this informative and quintessentially hip overview of the music and entertainment industry in the United States from the days of peace, love, and flower children to the present.
Debra Shumate, Bull Run Regional Library, Manassas, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Abradale's half-price reprint of the 1998 original features 30 years' worth of covers from the prestigious music publication, from John Lennon in 1967 to Tina Turner, Courtney Love, and Madonna in 1997. Just about every music and film celebrity has appeared on the cover, giving this tremendous browse appeal.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810982064
• ISBN-13: 978-0810982062
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,380,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rock'n'Roll in graphical historical detail, October 21, 2001

By 

"policyoftruth" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers (Hardcover)

This book is a virtual history of American rock'n'roll. Each cover says something about the times, such as the now rather melancholy shot of Nirvana, form early 1994, on the verge of a huge comeback, just months before Kurt Cobain shot himself, or Annie Leibovitz's moody 1971 study of John Lennon, then deeply into his Working Class Hero phase. Rock'n'roll stars compete for cover space with politicians and film stars, depending upon what the issue or the hot stuff of the day was - Warren Beatty and Jerry Falwell both feature in political and pop-cultural contexts (the shot of Beatty is from 1975, when he was promoting Shampoo, a film set just days before the Kennedy assassination) and the text is sprinkled with plenty of choice quotes form both camps, making this a book to be slowly savoured for its pictorial and historical content time and time again.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Coffee Table Book!, May 27, 2001

By 

Martin A Hogan "Marty From SF" (San Francisco, CA. (Hercules)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rolling Stone : The Complete Covers (Variable Cover) (Hardcover)

In the words of Mick Jagger to Rolling Stone, "You set the tone of a magazine by the cover - that's very important". He is correct. From issue #1 of Nov. 1967, John Lennon launches Rolling Stone in war garb and continues to grace more covers with and without the Beatles. "The Complete Covers" is a time machine of photographs (most from acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz) reminding us of the issues that we faced and the climate of the music. We can watch our rock heroes get older with us and witness the new birth of music groups over again. Politics are always included at critical time periods and, of course, our more liberal movie stars are here to set another kind of tome for the period. Although ending in 1997 with the cover of 'Women In Rock', you can bet that Rolling Stone gives us another in 2027. Enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little more than a coffee table book, in fact, September 6, 2001

By 

Manny Hernandez "@askmanny" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers (Hardcover)

The book is a graphical historical document, showing all the covers from Rolling Stone magazine until the time of its edition. It could be argued that this is nothing more than a marketing gimmick to leverage off the work of photographers of the stature of Annie Leibovitz. But in fact, just like the Rolling Stone magazine has been since its beginning, this is about the history of music since 1967 until 1997. The deaths and triumphs of everyone are in it: Morrison, Hendrix, Lennon, Cobain, alongside Madonna, U2 and all your favorite stars.