SPILL BOOK REVIEW: BRUCE DICKINSON & STEVE HARRIS – IRON MAIDEN: INFINITE DREAMS

BRUCE DICKINSON & STEVE HARRIS – IRON MAIDEN: INFINITE DREAMS

THAMES & HUDSON

BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY

This is a massive book and accomplishment. A coffee table book all about Iron Maiden, and celebrating their 50 years as a band, although the book officially ends in 2021. It is hard to believe that Iron Maiden (and their iconic mascot, Eddie) has been exciting audiences, both in concert and on record, for 50 years. Iron Maiden: The Official Visual Story is a wonderful way for the band to celebrate the landmark anniversary. Unlike The Beatles’ Anthology book, Iron Maiden: The Official Visual Story does not have a great deal of written material, but is more a visual extravaganza for fans. However, the foreword is written by Iron Maiden’s founding member Steve Harris, and vocalist Bruce Dickinson gets the last word with the afterword (titled as a backward in the book.)

In between the foreword and afterword is a collection of photographs, many of which have never been seen before. There is, of course, text, but it is the photos that are absolutely stunning. From album covers to instruments, to backstage, to the studio, it is all here, and each photo has a caption that provides a great deal of information about what you are seeing. The photos themselves are absolutely stunning. The photos of the band in concert are incredible and manage to give the reader a strong sense of the energy and excitement at their shows. While nothing replaces being there in person, this book does a great job of showing their incredible stage presence.

Also, the illustrations add a great deal to the book as well. It gives a different dimension to the band and their music. Iron Maiden have always been a very visual band; their concerts are more than a performance, they are a spectacle. Their official mascot, Eddie, is well represented, and his creator, Derek Riggs, offers a fascinating history of the character. For the record, Eddie gets a lot more frightening over time.

Iron Maiden: The Official Visual Story is curated by Ben Smallwood and co-edited by Alexander Milas and Terry Burrows. The book is organized chronologically, which is ideal for a band like Iron Maiden, a band that saw its audience develop and grow a great deal throughout its career. For example, seeing the band playing pubs in 1975 is very interesting, knowing that in a handful of years they would be playing stadiums.

Iron Maiden: The Official Visual Story is a beautiful, huge, and heavy book. I would never have thought a coffee table book of Iron Maiden would exist, but it does, and it is brilliant. Iron Maiden: The Official Visual Story gives fans an intimate look into the band, while others will just find their entire story extremely entertaining and fascinating.

ISBN-10: 0500029601
ISBN-13:‎ 978-0-50002-960-1

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