Eyes of the World: Grateful Dead Photography 1965 – 1995 is a fine art, hardcover coffee table photography book that brings together, for the first time, a comprehensive collection of photographs from a wide range of photographers whose work has captured the Grateful Dead at different times throughout their career.
Features 220 images across 272 pages in a 12” x 12” book that weighs a hefty six pounds!
Shocking as it may seem -- particularly given the unparalleled job the band’s shepherds have done in documenting its history -- until now there has been no definitive visual reference encompassing the 30 year career of the Grateful Dead.
Photographers featured in Eyes of the World include such legendary names as Annie Leibovitz, Jim Marshall, David Gahr, Mark Seliger, Herb Greene, William Coupon, Michael O’Neill, Adrian Boot, Michael Putland, Peter Simon, Baron Wolman and co-editor Jay Blakesberg, whose Fare Three Well: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Grateful Dead is another must-have for fans. Included in Eyes of the World are iconic images, lesser known photos, and never-seen before seen images – each of them a singular perspective of a poignant moment that together help tell the Grateful Dead’s epic tale through large, bold imagery.
Each of the images included on the pages of Eyes of the World were originally shot on film. Many of them have been reproduced for the first time via high-resolution scan, allowing them to be viewed anew. Unfettered in presentation, each photograph holds relevance and weight, many of them taking up a full page or more.
As renowned musician and photographer Graham Nash writes in the book’s Foreword, “It’s obvious that the authors of these photographs were great fans and also that they had a unique perspective. They were ‘trusted.’ Trusted so much that it’s certain that the band were completely comfortable in revealing the many faces of themselves.” Graham continues, “It’s moments like these that photographers live for: the ability to be invisible so that no one knows you’re there. That’s when the good shots happen and that’s when I realize how lucky the band was to have such talented witnesses to their journey.”
As Phil Lesh notes, “These photos really capture the spirit of the Grateful Dead’s 30-year adventure. Looking at this book, I was reminded of some amazing moments I’d forgotten.”
Concurs Mickey Hart: “It’s a startling reminder of how good things can get with a touch of grace, some laughter and a lot of good luck. You can almost hear the joy in these images that only music can bring.”
Whether a Grateful Dead veteran who caught them in the heady days of the late-‘60s in San Francisco, or a millennial who made it to Chicago for Fare The Well in 2015, Eyes of the World: Grateful Dead Photography 1965 – 1995 provides fans of all ages and stages the opportunity to see this band in a way they never have before.
Review
"These photos really capture the spirit of the Grateful Dead’s 30-year adventure. Looking at this book, I was reminded of some amazing moments I’d forgotten." -- Phil Lesh
"It’s a startling reminder of how good things can get with a touch of grace, some laughter and a lot of good luck. You can almost hear the joy in these images that only music can bring." -- Mickey Hart
"It’s obvious that the authors of these photographs were great fans and also that they had a unique perspective. They were 'trusted.' Trusted so much that it’s certain that the band were completely comfortable in revealing the many faces of themselves." -- Graham Nash, from the Foreword
About the Author
Jay Blakesberg is a San Francisco based photographer who has published 12 coffee table books of his music photography. He has been photographing the Grateful Dead for 40 years. Josh Baron was with Relix magazine from 2001 to 2013 during which he served as editor-in-chief from 2009 to 2013. Baron co-authored the critically acclaimed Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped in 2011. He currently helps lead business development for Songkick, the world's largest artist ticketing platform.^
Josh Baron was an editor with Relix and wrote Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped. He leads business development for Songkick and lives in LA.
