Books

The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966–1977 is a deluxe hardcover book, packed with hundreds of color and black‐and‐white photos, many of which have never been seen before. Dead fans can immerse themselves in the band’s early years, from their humble beginnings to their rise to global stardom.

The book represents the unbeatable pairing of an iconic band with the ultimate rock-and-roll photographer. Jim Marshall took over 10,000 pictures of the Grateful Dead over the course of his career—from electrifying photos of the Dead performing for masses of fans to intimate moments of band members rehearsing and creating together to casual domestic scenes. With an instinctive eye and uncanny timing, Marshall captured the Dead’s improvisational style, and he was welcomed into their family as a peer, colleague, and friend. He was there with the Grateful Dead at Woodstock, the Newport Pop Festival, the last free concert on Haight Street, the Human Be‐In, and many more performances. Featuring over 200 images—a third of which have never been published anywhere and printed in the rich, high‐contrast tones that Marshall favored, this lavish edition is a celebration of a cultural phenomenon.

Sixty years after they first got together, the Grateful Dead are as big as ever. In December 2024 they received a Kennedy Center Honor for their role in developing American culture and pushing creative boundaries, and in January 2025 the Grateful Dead were feted as MusiCares Persons of the Year in recognition of their contributions to music and philanthropic work, and to their role in fostering communities. Original members of the Grateful Dead continue to perform for enthusiastic fans with the band Dead & Company at Sphere Las Vegas every year.

Five experts on music, photography, and the Dead have contributed to the book, which was co‐curated by David Gans—musician, music journalist, and host of The Grateful Dead Hour syndicated radio show—and includes an afterword by guitarist John Mayer, who has been a member of Dead & Company since its founding in 2015. Throughout the book are quotes and commentary from other photographers and musicians and from members of the extended Grateful Dead family.

Photographs by Jim Marshall, curated by Amelia Davis and David Gans, afterword by John Mayer
Chronicle Books August 2025
Available at 
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
bookshop.org
chroniclebooks.com
indigo.ca (California)
waterstones.com (UK)
 

The year 1972 brought together two legends of rock ‘n’ roll at the peaks of their careers: Jim Marshall and the Rolling Stones. Selected by LIFE magazine to photograph the Stones’ EXILE ON MAIN ST. tour, Marshall had a week of unlimited access. The results are his now-iconic images of the band, onstage in their full glory and backstage in moments of unguarded camaraderie. Marshall’s ability to capture the essential spirit of an artist and the transformative power of music is matched only by the Stones’ larger-than-life energy. Fifty years after these photographs were taken, they retain the power to thrill and inspire.

The definitive edition presents the images as they were meant to be seen: at a larger size and in the rich, high-contrast tones Marshall favored. The original content is enhanced with never-before-seen proof sheets and two new essays by photographer and film director Anton Corbijn and Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. This is the ultimate, immersive experience of one of the greatest moments in music history.

Photographs by Jim Marshall, forward by Keith Richards, text by Joel Selvin, and essays by Anton Corbijn and Nikki Sixx  
Chronicle Books May 2022  
Available at amazon.com

Jim Marshall created iconic images of rock ‘n’ roll stars, jazz greats, and civil rights leaders. He had the power to look into the soul of an individual and to capture the mood of an entire generation. This deluxe, career-spanning volume showcases hundreds of photographs: intimate portraits, heady crowd scenes, and haunting street shots evoking the sights and sounds of the 1960s and 1970s. Marked-up proof sheets offer insight into Marshall’s process, while in-depth essays from his contemporaries tell a compelling story about this larger-than-life man. Nearly a decade after his death, Marshall’s legacy is the subject of a documentary feature film. This gorgeous collection is a must-have for devoted fans and newcomers alike, a fitting tribute to a true legend.

Photographs by Jim Marshall; authored by Amelia Davis; compiled by Karen Grigsby Bates, Michelle Margetts, Joel Selvin, Meg Shiffle
Chronicle Books August 2018
Available at Chronicle Books and amazon.com

A powerful portrait of a legendary musician by a legendary photographer. Carefully curated with full access to the Jim Marshall Archive, this handsome oversized volume offers the definitive view of Johnny Cash’s legendary prison concerts at Folsom in 1968 and San Quentin in 1969. Cash had been interested in recording a live album at a prison since his 1955 hit, Folsom Prison Blues. The idea was put on hold for a few years until 1968, when Cash visited one of California’s oldest maximum-security prisons to record his At Folsom Prison album. Cash had known Jim Marshall since the early 1960s and personally requested him to record the prison concert. Marshall was the only official photographer present, and was granted unlimited access.

Photographs by Jim Marshall, authored by Marty Stuart, edited by Amelia Davis
Reel Art Press May 2018
Available at Reel Art Press and amazon.com
A limited supply of hand-signed editions available at Premiere Collectibles

Jim Marshall’s unseen “peace” photographs, collated and published here for the first time, are a timely document for our world today. Almost 60 years after Gerald Holtom created the peace symbol, this body of work is a beautiful and thoughtful reflection from one of the most celebrated photographers of the twentieth century. Marshall is renowned and celebrated for his photography of musicians and bands in the 1960s and beyond, but his beautiful photos of the peace sign have never been seen before. This is the second in a series of books published by Reel Art Press in collaboration with the Jim Marshall Archive.

Photographs by Jim Marshall, foreword by Shepard Fairey, afterward by Joan Baez, authored by Peter Doggett
Reel Art Press September 2017
Available at Reel Art Press and amazon.com