The Complete David Bowie is definitely the best account of David's work, presenting in the first part of the book each and every song he has ever written or sung and continuing with his albums, singles, movies and live appearances.

Don't get me wrong, Nicolas Pegg has done a great and painstaking job and the book is a great source if you're going to write a thesis on Bowie(!), but I wouldn't call it fun reading, mostly because of its structure, which is similar to that of a dictionary or encyclopedia! However, there are many interesting facts and quotes that will draw your attention, and you get to hear the explanation of many of his songs from David! 'e.g. I didn't know what the theme of Heathen (The Rays) was and why it brought tears to his eyes in one of his concerts'

I think it's a very good and detailed piece of work, as long as you know what you're getting!

The Complete David Bowie is definitely the best account of David's work, presenting in the first part of the book each and every song he has ever written or sung and continues with his albums, singles, movies and live appearances.

Don't get me wrong, Nicolas Pegg has done a great and painstaking job and the book is a great source if you're going to write a thesis on Bowie(!), but I wouldn't call it fun reading, mostly because of its structure, which is similar to that of a dictionary or encyclopedia! However, there are many interesting facts and quotes that will draw your attention, and you get to hear the explanation of many of his songs from David! -e.g. I didn't know what the theme of Heathen (The Rays) was and why it brought tears to his eyes in one of his concerts...

I think it's a very good and detailed piece of work, as long as you know what you're getting!

As a collector of Bowie's music, I found this book invaluable. It filled in some gaps in my understanding of the great ones music and cleverly clarifies the evolution process from one Bowie phase to the next.
The book makes reference to many rare and unreleased songs which is vital to a serious collector.
It is written plainly and factually with no hint of worship.
If you are only concerned with Bowie's music then this is the book for you. Essential.

It should be noted first, that the look of this book may have spawned that primary & pastel coloured graphics look that culminated in those dodgy Culture Club-esque album covers of the 80's.

This is, however, not a bad thing. Remember that Bowie himself spawned Icehouse, Bauhaus (and therfore 'the fields of the nephilm'- a gothic embarrasment from the UK that mass cringing couldn't drive away)and a whole gamut of pass the sick, or make up, bag 'artistes'.

The photos were a revelation, in terms of size and quality, when first published and it must have been obvious to Eel-Pie (Publisher owned by Pete Townsend) that sad spotty but 'different' - i.e. couldn't score chics - schoolkids like myself were going to buy two copies at a time. One for perusing and dripping saliva on and the other for the bedroom wall. Some of us particularly sad types bought three, as some pages had 'crucial' snaps on either side.

In fairness, up until then in the UK (or at least Scotland) there were about 20 unofficial Bowie books that you could buy. All of which had little of written interest and shared the same newsprint qualiy black and whites. Face it, the photos were all that really mattered. As soon as I had parted with my pocket money, the cellophane wrapping was aibourne and my mums scissors were gummed up with cellotape as I added the latest installement to the 'installation (conversation?)piece' that was my bedroom 'collage'.

Once I had bought my third copy and actually started to read the thing (only joking, I read the second one before I cut it up) I realised that this was not going to be the same old cliche ridden sychophantic drivel that I was used to swallowing so gratefully. When you are a young teenager and your mates periodically want to beat you up 'cos you listen to a poof', it can be quite comforting having some hack confirm to you in print that 'the chamelion of rock' is actually the second coming in mascarra. Like, it says so there so it must be true!

How refreshing then, to read a book that praises and ridicules Bowie in fairly equal measure, even though it's obvious that Carr & Murray love 95% of the music they are critiquing. I didn't agree with all of their observations and conclusions, but neither I or the authors should mind about that. This was then, the first music publication that for me, made reading it feel like an adult pursuit. Just before I cut it up and used it to cover every inch of my bedroom.

Two more things, 1. If you buy a copy, you will need a bigger coffee table 2. I wish I had kept one.

The book is the size of a record album. Of all my Bowie books, it has held up the best (no pages falling out after all these years) and is as fresh, information-wise, as the day I purchased it. It contains giant size, full-color pictures of Bowie during many stages, up until about the late seventies. It comes complete with discography, and many pictures of international albums he has produced. It is THE definitive guide on Mr. Bowie.

Buckley has slillfully juggled a proper critical distance with the evident enthusiasm of the long-time David Bowie fan. Quick to praise the highlights of his subject's career, he is equally adept at pricking the bubble of pomposity that has often surrounded Bowie, exposing his coke-addled rantings and deriding the leaden Tin Machine.

Believe me, I have read most of them. You can trust me: this is the best Bowie biography ever published. The only drawback is that his pre-1969 years are described rather superficiously. But once you get to "Space Oddity", you realize you're reading a worthy tome by a knowledgeable writer. Buckley is a long-time Bowie fan and he got to interview key people in David's career, most of whom were still associated with the singer at the time of writing (unlike other biographies, where only former associates are heard). But unlike some fans you may have met, Buckley has a critical, non-biased view of Bowie's life. While most biographers concentrate on secondary aspects and anecdotes, Buckley hits the nail in the head and takes you right through the spinal cord of David's career. Whether you're a diehard Bowie fan or a newcomer looking for information, this book is for you!

This was a very well written, very well researched biography. It was an interesting read and the authors obviously knew exactly what they were talking about. They interviewed a vast range of sources, had all sorts of good quotes, anecdotes and pictures. I felt like I was getting the real deal. This is the best Bowie biography I've read. (In case you're wondering, I've read five. I'm doing a report for my arts class.) This answers most of my questions about Bowie, my only regrets being that it was published in the mid-eighties, so I don't get any info on what he's doing now....

Though somewhat outdated, poorly written/translated, and incomplete given what we know about Bowie's live performances at this point in time, this book is still a stellar achievement and should be required reading for anyone who collects Bowie's "unauthorized" recordings. The author infuses his narrative with the passion of an ardent fan and true collector. He discusses Bowie's live recordings chronologically up through the 1983 tour, providing details about the characteristics of Bowie's performances as well as the quality of the recordings that were typically made from the audience over the years. The book (and the hobby of collecting Bowie recordings) is really a "people's history" of his amazing career. While there is definitely is a need for an updated version (i.e., one that might include a little information on the last 19 years!), much of the information is still incredibly relevant, since there were seldom multiple source recordings of a given concert, especially in the early years ('72-'74).(They became more plentiful in the '80s and '90s.) Even if you collect live Bowie shows on CD these days, many of the author's descriptions will be of the shows that are still circulating widely as "The" copy.

Aside from the utility of the book as a discography of rare recordings, it also features wonderful, rare pictures of Bowie concerts taken from audience members over the years. Just the pictures alone make this book worth seeking out.

Good pictures, not to many though. This book from 1977 has a lot of excellent pictures of Bowie from his Hunky Dory phase through his Thin White Duke incarnation. Good for the serious collector only.

This is the best book on db that I have seen since Black Book. The photos and text are excellent. The snippets of info describing the photos are great and very informative. You feel you know him a bit better after reading this boo

This book is an overview of the first 38 issues of Visionaire. It gives the reader a view of every issue and artists who contributed tell their story about their participation in creating those fabulous issues. The book is really great and is a musthave for everyone who is thinking about buying an issue of Visionaire. If you're not sure if you'll like a certain issue look at this book first to get a preview. 10 years have gone by and hopefully it doesn't stop here.

I live in Columbia, Maryland, and heard about this book in high school maybe a year after it went to print. I was entirely freaked out by the descriptions of police brutality in places I have been to. I played baseball at Oakland Mills High School. This is my town Parrish was talking about. I believe every word he said. I recommend this book to anyone. My only criticism is the second half of the book when Parrish searches for alternative explanations to Bowie's death. Noble, but pointless I thought.

How closed did David Crockett come to being presidient of the United States? Closer than you might think.  That's one of the many interesting issues covered in "Three Roads to the Alamo" This book is deep and well researched.  The foot notes were as interesting as the book itself.  Most Bubba Texas history buffs never considered Crockett, Bowie and Travis until they bite the big bullet.  We sometimes forget that Davy Crockett was not much more than a tourist.   He had just lost an election and  made one campaign promise that he kept.   He said, "If I lose this election I'll either go to hell or Texas." He chose Texas.  His travels led him to San Antonio at a time that coincided with the defense of the Alamo. James Bowie was a land swindler that forged a lot of Spanish land grants in Louisiana and did a poor job of that.  He was kind of hiding out from creditors and enjoying his new squeeze, a pretty local girl from a influential San Antonio family.  She died of typhus that rampaged the area and Jim went into a depression that kept him from a timely exit from San Antonio. William Travis was thriving in Texas with a law practice.   Only after he had sneaked out of Alabama leaving a family and lots of debt.  This book does a great job of explaining how these three men came together and rose above their short comings to lead a brave defense of the Alamo.

Three key figures in the Alamo legend, three biographies intertwined into a single story. Davis is able to write parallel accounts of the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis, so that the reader knows what the others have been up to while reading about the third. Meticulous research, and Davis does not bog down the narrative with long explanations about sources. However, he does supply adequate information in the notes at the end of the book, for those who are fond of reading them. Perhaps the most interesting information to come from the book is the shattering of myths surrounding these three men. Travis was a failure in life, whose law career didn't pick up until he abandoned his native Alabama--and his wife and family--for Texas. Bowie was a swindler, who forged documents claiming to be Spanish land grants for land in present-day Arkansas and Louisiana. And Crockett was the Jesse Ventura of his day, an unlettered self-promoter who became nationally known in the early 1830s and parlayed his fame into a political career that eventually collapsed for lack of substance. A great American story, "Three Roads to the Alamo" can be enjoyed by anyone--even Texas newcomers like me.

This book combines the best in historical detail and accuracy with a bold, dramatic narrative that propels the reader forward. Travis, Crockett and Bowie are revealed as full human beings not caricatures or tall-tale characters. The research is exhaustive and the portraits of the men are clear and strong. One knows the tragic event that sealed their fate, and Davis debunks some of the myth clouding the Alamo and the three men inextricably linked to it. It is also a book about a young country and the unique and fascinating men that forged the American West. Not just for Alamo enthusiasts--there's plenty here for everyone! It contains the exhaustive research, humor, attention to detail and "readability" that characterize Davis' books. If you've read his Civil War books--give this one a try! If you've never read him, it's a great introduction to his style. Quite Simply a GREAT read.