U2 -- The Best of Propaganda: 20 Years of the Official U2 Magazine (Paperback)

by Ian Gittins (Author), U2 (Foreword), Paul McGuinness (Foreword) "Here I am, an American writer, dining with an Irish band in a Greek restaurant in the heart of England..." (more)
Key Phrases: Rattle and Hum, Brian Eno, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Started in the band's very earliest days, from 1986 until the year 2000, Propaganda was the only official U2 fan-club magazine to ever exist. Each issue carried exclusive in-depth interviews, plus behind-the-scenes insights into U2 operations and unique never-seen-elsewhere photographs. An impressive selection of the best features appear here in this very first Propaganda anthology, offering a fascinating chance to see the extraordinary development of one of the biggest bands in the world through the writers and photographers who have been closest to them throughout their successful career. U2's Propaganda includes 250 color photographs--some of which have never appeared anywhere else, a tribute CD made up of various artists appearing in stores in October 2002, articles written by the band members themselves, exclusive band member interviews never printed before, and a full discography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560254874
• ISBN-13: 978-1560254874
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #491,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mea non culpa, February 13, 2004

By	Ian Gittins (London) - See all my reviews

I'm glad readers are enjoying this U2 compendium. A word, though, about the typos and spelling errors. This book is a snapshot in time, a record of U2's Propaganda magazine, warts and all. The very earliest magazines were punky and rough around the edges, and occasionally contained grammatical errors. We made a conscious decision to keep them in to make the book a truer guide to the journal's development. To correct them would have been to airbrush history. I hope this helps to explain matters.

(By the way, apologies for my appalling arrogance in awarding the book five stars here - Amazon don't allow you to post a review without awarding the book a star rating!).

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Must-have for a die-hard U2 fan, November 21, 2003

By A Customer

As the title indicates, this book is a must-have for those of us who are passionate about U2. The photos are great, the articles cover a wide range of styles, authors, perspectives, etc....it is especially interesting to read interviews with the band at vastly different stages of their career. However, I wouldn't suggest this book as an introduction to U2. Unless you know the history of the band quite well, most of these articles would be confusing to you because they are highlights from U2's magazine, and background knowlege is assumed--sometimes very little context is given. But as I said, for those of us who know U2 well, context is not necessary. My only complaint is the editing, or lack thereof. There are so many typos in this book you would think that it wasn't proofread at all; or perhaps it was simply produced very quickly. Overall though, an essential addition to any fan's collection.
I am adding a p.s. to this review after reading Ian Gittins' (the editor himself!) response to mine and others' complaints about the typos. I thank Mr. Gittins for explaining; the fact that the typos were present in the original articles did not occur to me. If I had thought a little harder about it, maybe it would have occured to me, or maybe it wouldn't. At any rate, though the typos are still distracting, they are not as irritating now that I know why they're there. I am dutifully chagrined for any implications about Mr. Gittins' editing abilities...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars u2: The Best of Propaganda, December 29, 2003

By	steele quain (broadmeadow, n.s.w. Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great insight into the world of U2, great reading for the U2 fan although i think Ian Grittins forgot to proof read this material and also forgot to hit spell check because there is alot of spelling and grammer mistakes, still a fantastic buy, lots of stuff here that you wont find anywhere else.