HarperCollins to publish the Collected Works of Jim Morrison on June 8, 202

 Very, very exciting news here! This media release just landed in my inbox...Robert Kinsler

HARPERCOLLINS TO PUBLISH LANDMARK VOLUME

OF POETRY, JOURNALS, TRANSCRIPTS AND LYRICS

BY THE LEGENDARY JIM MORRISON

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announces it will publish THE COLLECTED WORKS OF JIM MORRISON—an almost 600-page anthology of the writings of the late poet and iconic Doors’ front man. Created in collaboration with Morrison’s estate and inspired by a posthumously discovered list entitled “Plan for Book,” this landmark publication is the definitive opus of his creative output—and the book he intended to publish. A compelling mix of 160 visual components accompanies the text throughout: an abundance of previously unpublished material, including excerpts from his 28 privately held notebooks, with numerous examples written in his hand.  An array of personal images and commentary on the work by Morrison himself rounds out this highly collectible volume, which includes a foreword by Tom Robbins, introduction and notes by Morrison’s close friend Frank Lisciandro, and a prologue by Morrison’s sister, Anne Morrison Chewning. The book will be available on June 8, 2021, wherever books are sold. 

 

Executive Editor Elizabeth Sullivan says, “Jim Morrison is an enduring, influential force in the world of entertainment as well as one of the most notable poets of his generation. The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is a highly curated anthology of his prodigious creative output. This is an exceptional collection we’re thrilled and honored to publish in conjunction with Jim’s family, Jennifer Gates at Aevitas, and the incredible support of JAM, Inc., the estate’s manager, who gave us unprecedented access to the Morrison archives.”

 

The accompanying audiobook makes available for the first time the full recording of Morrison’s last poetry recording session at the Village Recorder on his twenty-seventh birthday in 1970. A complete transcript of the poems Jim read during the session is in the book as well.  

 

“This is a historic moment,” Sullivan says. “The full digital audio book will not only include Jim’s reading, but readings of his work by other artists, including Patti Smith and Oliver Ray.”

 

With a foreword by Tom Robbins, an introduction and notes by longtime Morrison friend, photographer, and filmmaker Frank Lisciandro that provide insight to the work, and a prologue by Morrison’s sister Anne Morrison Chewning, this remarkable collector’s item includes:

 

 

Complete self-published poems and writings such as “The New Creatures”; “The Lords: Notes on Vision”; “An American Prayer”; “Ode to LA while thinking of Brian Jones, Deceased”

 

Published and unpublished song lyrics, with numerous examples in Morrison’s hand

 

Published and unpublished work and a vast array of notebook writings such as “The Anatomy of Rock,” “The Celebration of the Lizard,” “Dry Water,” “The American Night,” and “Tape Noon”

 

The Paris notebook, believed to be Morrison’s final journal, reproduced at full reading size, as well as excerpts from the journal he kept during his infamous Miami trial in 1970

 

This beautifully produced, oversized hardcover, designed by Michael Bierut and Jonny Sikov of Pentagram, is not only the most comprehensive book of Morrison’s work ever published, it is immersive, giving readers insight to the creative process of and offering access to the musings and observations of an artist whom the poet Michael McClure called “one of the finest, clearest spirits of our times.”  

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Douglas Morrison (1943-1971) was a poet, filmmaker, screenwriter, and the lead singer of as well as the lyricist and a composer for The Doors. Prior to his death, Morrison self-published three limited-edition volumes of his poetry: The Lords/Notes on Vision (1969), The New Creatures (1969), and An American Prayer (1970). Simon & Schuster published the combined The Lords and the New Creatures in 1970. Posthumous editions of Morrison’s writings include Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison, Volume I (1988) and The American Night: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison, Volume II (1990).

 

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

HarperCollins Publishers is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world with operations in 18 countries. With nearly two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 17 languages and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) and can be visited online at corporate.HC.com.

 

 

ABOUT JAMPOL ARTIST MANAGEMENT, INC. 

Dedicated to the re-introduction of timeless art through modern means, JAM, Inc. develops, preserves, protects and enhances the work of iconic artists and reaches out to successive generations of music fans. Using new distribution channels, new technology, and other emerging resources, JAM, Inc. manages the recordings, images, writings, and other creations of their clients to keep them circulating in the cultural bloodstream. Among JAM, Inc.’s clients are rock legends The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, Grace Slick, The Mamas & The Papas and the estates of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Juan Gabriel, Charlie Parker, and John Lee Hooker. The firm also serves as consultant to the Estate of Michael Jackson.