Elton John: The Life and Music of a Legendary Performer by Heatley, Michael
Elton John: The Life and Music of a Legendary Performer
A Definitive Photographic Retrospective and Nuanced Chronicle Mapping the Public Triumphs and Private World of a Pop Mastermind
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Elton John: The Life and Music of a Legendary Performer
- Author: Michael Heatley
- Publisher: CLB Publishing (Colour Library Books), Godalming
- Publication Date: 1998
- ISBN-10: 1858339456
- ISBN-13: 9781858339450
- Edition Details: First Edition, Large Format Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth-bound hardcover boards with vivid spine lettering, complete with an unclipped illustrated glossy dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Quarto / Coffee Table Scale (4to), 144 pages. Lavishly structured with a sprawling layout of full-page color and black-and-white performance graphics, tour archives, and dedicated discographies.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Used – Near Fine / Mint (NF)
- Exterior / Boards: The hardcover boards are structurally pristine, perfectly flat, and square with exceptionally sharp corner tips. The spine remains uncreased, tight, and completely undamaged with unmarred cloth extremities.
- Interior: The text block binding is remarkably tight and remains in crisp, mint condition. The heavy gloss pages, color portrait spreads, and margins are bright, white, and clean. Entirely free of highlighting, user notations, page folding, or bookseller markings.
- Protective Preservation: Enclosed in a custom-fitted premium archival cellophane wrapper to secure the binding against environmental friction and dust accumulation.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition details: Beautifully preserved, vibrant, and complete. Displays only microscopic, very limited cosmetic signs of light storage wear along the extreme edges, remaining free of open tears, scuffs, color loss, or chips.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1998, Elton John: The Life and Music of a Legendary Performer serves as an essential visual and narrative archive capturing a monumental turning point in the artist's legendary career. Coming immediately after his historic performance of "Goodbye England's Rose" at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales—which became the best-selling single in chart history—this book examines how Reginald Dwight transformed into the ultimate global showbiz persona. Prolific music journalist Michael Heatley charts the musician's path from his early pub circuits with Bluesology to his definitive, chart-busting double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in the 1970s and his theatrical 1990s revivals. The narrative balances his musical genius with his complex personal life, documenting his famous clashes with the press, his personal struggles, and his groundbreaking global charity work with the Elton John AIDS Foundation, making this volume a high-value treasure for pop-rock collectors.
Author Profile: Michael Heatley
Michael Heatley is a highly distinguished British music journalist, editor, and biographer who has authored over a hundred books specializing in rock, pop, and sports history. The former editor of History of Rock magazine, Heatley has penned acclaimed biographies of massive musical forces including Queen, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, and Neil Young. Renowned for his deep archival research, accessible pacing, and balanced approach to celebrity reporting, his works are highly regarded by collectors for their historical accuracy and rich photographic curation.
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