Phil CushwayArt of the Dead: A Celebration of the Artists Behind the American Rock Poster Movement

This is a super nice book. Very good read.The poster pictures are great !!

"The posters were real things in a real time, and a really far out time." Alton Kelley.It's been a long time since a book on 60's poster art has had anything remotely new to show fans (like me), and with great reproduction values to boot. This is that book. Is every poster new to viewers? No. But the approach by the editor (who's involved in the poster field and knows what he's talking about), and his choices of posters is top notch. Plus, editor Phil Cushway takes a different path-rather than simply reproducing posters, he goes into some historical detail about the poster making process. Overall this is probably a 5 "star" book, but for me, it's closer to 4 1/2 "stars"-but who's quibbling over 1/2 a "star"?This coffee table size book is full of great period poster work by many of the greatest artists of that era, and some lesser (or completely) unknown artists, along with essays by Greil Marcus, Mickey Hart, and Peter Coyote, who were there when all this was happening. Don't think that the title means this is nothing but Grateful Dead posters-it's not. The band is used primarily as a jumping off point to anchor the story of poster art in this specific period. But you'll notice that the band figures in many of the posters, which is fine. But what's different (and pretty cool) about this particular book, is that the history of poster printing and manufacturing is also here-not in any great detail, and primarily limited to the "Grateful Dead era"-but enough to form a foundation for later artwork. Included are preliminary work sketches, printing plates, etc. But don't think this is some dry treatise on poster history/making-it's not. If (again like me) you already own books like "The Art Of Rock", and "The Art Of The Fillmore", etc., you should probably think about adding this book to your library. The inclusion of a number of rare posters or even some that are little seen by fans makes this book worth pouring over. The reproductions are crisp and clean, with many close to full page size-as they should be.Cushway also includes a few paragraphs (some with quotes from the artists and himself) from a number of the major artists, along with examples of their work. My only complaint (and it's totally self-serving) is that I wish many of the smaller reproductions could've been full page size (or close to it) to bring out the true beauty and wonder of each piece of art. The full effect of these posters can only be truly appreciated (and felt) at a larger reproduction size. But I realize doing so would've made the book prohibitively expensive, and/or unwieldy. Of course, nothing beats seeing these posters tacked onto telephone polls, fences, buildings, and taped to the occasional VW bus as it chugged by, in all their mind-numbing glory. I can remember seeing someone putting these posters up, and then noticing that they had disappeared a little while later-fans loved either the bands advertised and/or the poster itself-so many were taken down the same day.This book can easily sit next to other good poster books, along with the great rock poster book "Classic Rock Posters" (which I just finished reading but continue to look at the beautiful poster reproductions), edited by Mick Farren. I came across this beautifully done hardcover book as a "remainder" book at a chain book store. It's still available on-line. This is another great book with good reproductions, laid out chronologically, with informative captions, and essays on each loosely defined period of posters, beginning with early posters and continuing up through the punk era and beyond. If you haven't seen this book either, I suggest you check it out as well. Hopefully Cushway will publish a second volume, filled with even more awesome examples from that long ago era, that can still bring that exciting period back to life when looking at these wonderful pieces of art.

Superb! This is a fascinating, well-considered, and colorful exploration of the artistic aspects of the Grateful Dead. But, it is even bigger than that. It is also one of the most considered and insightful analysis of the whole psychedelic poster phenomenon thus far. Cushway's knowledge of the material is deep and thoughtful. It has the perspective of one who has been on the inside of the poster world for decades. It also is intelligent and thoughtful, using this privileged perspective to insightful analysis. There is not a ton of text, but it is incisive and well-articulated in its brevity. It sets the context splendidly for the visuals - most of the tale is told through gorgeous color images. It is fun - visually stunning. Worth it for them alone. But, the text gives it just enough substance to make this interesting (and indeed necessary) reading for any and all interested in psychedelic rock poster art and/or the visual phenomenon of the Grateful Dead. Even those who know this stuff pretty well will learn interesting things from this book. There are tons of books out there on rock stuff - some good, some mediocre, some pretty lame. This is one of the rare ones thatbare not just good, but actually great. .... Stop reading this review and just buy the book....

One of only a handful of worthy reviews of 60s-70s psychedelic posters. Superb photography except for the bands of thumbnail illustration intended to "flesh out" a given artists work product and encourage one to seek out more accessible illustrations elsewhere. Outstanding and essential introduction to this fertile field

Great fun to page through these gorgeous reproductions. The focus is mostly on the San Francisco poster artists from the second half of the Sixties: who they are/were, where they came from, their influences, what strengths they brought to the explosion of amazing creativity at that time and place. Along with the "big five" who are singled out for more detailed biographical information and more examples of their art, lots of lesser known artists are given some attention with some samples of their work, too. The one recurring theme is that these posters have always existed independently as works of art. The promotion of band(s) and concerts were secondary to the art (but served as a way to get paid and cover the costs of production, of course!) It's nice to see the art and artists treated with such respect in the production values of this book.

When you cant spend hundreds on the original prints, this book is the next best thing. Enjoy unwinding with some of the best work in Dead poster history. The pages are excellent as well. Light gloss that makes every page pop.

Nice book. Though I don't really care for the layout and design much. Still a great volume to add to your library if you are into this stuff.TOO BAD, however, that Amazon cannot, it seems, figure out how to ship a fine book like this without damage.This one was just thrown into a large box, free to bounce around and damage the dust jacket and bump the corners of the book.A shame to do that to a nice art book. I'm about to give up on Amazon for books.

Bought it as a gift for my dead head boyfriend and he loved it!

OK, so who will this book appeal to . . . . . - Essential for fans of the band - Essential for fans/historians of the Rock poster - An fascinating book for anyone interested in art - Of interest to many Rock fansHaving collected dozens of books over the years related to the Grateful Dead, perhaps I am incapable of being objective, however this book is a real gem and oozes quality. Being a hardback (still the best format by far IMO), with a beautiful gold embossed lettering on the dust cover, and large format, it is a joy to hold and look at or read. I say look at as this is what this book is really about - the amazing posters which adorn the pages, many of which are reproduced in a large enough format to appreciate them.A nice touch is the dedication at the end of the book which reads " And so thanks Rick. Thanks Kelly. And thanks to Mouse, Victor, Wes, Lee and all the others who have contributed so much to this genre of art" - so very true!!There is a simple pictorial index at the back of the book for the 140 posters featured for reference, a nice touch.I simply love this book!

Very good, thank you

Arrived on time great art thanks

Very good book with great descriptive pictures of the poster art

Ce livre n'a aucun intérêt. Je m'attendais à des repros pleine page, des biographies et bien non. Que de petites illustrations. Bien pour les non exigents