The B List: 10 Favorite Grateful Dead Books

9. Between the Dark and Light: The Grateful Dead Photography of Jay Blakesberg

Legendary photographer Jay Blakesberg provides over 900 mind-blowing photos of the band in action that are complemented nicely by essays from Dead historians Blair Jackson and J. C. Juanis as well as Blakesberg’s own reflections on following and shooting the band from 1979 onwards.

8. Grateful Dead Gear: All the Band’s Instruments, Sound Systems, and Recording Sessions, 1965-1995 – Blair Jackson

One of the most recent books on the band comes from longtime Deadhead writer Blair Jackson. This whole list could’ve been filled with Jackson’s comprehensive studies of the band including the engaging Jerry biography Garcia – An American Life, the quick and easy reading Goin’ Down The Road Feelin’ Bad – A Grateful Dead Traveling Companion and 1983’s The Music Never Stopped biography, but as a music gear geek I’ve gotta tip my hat towards his book on the band’s gear and recording “adventures.” I find cool new gems of information each time I pick it up.

7. Living With the Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus With Garcia and the Dead – Rock Scully with David Dalton

I always felt a little dirty reading former Dead manager Rock Scully’s tell-all book about the Dead, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t interesting to read about all the glorious moments and nasty shit that went down during his tenure with the band.

6. The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics – David Dodd

Back in 1994 – before everyone knew what the internet was – David Dodd started building a website with the goal of annotating the entire Grateful Dead catalog. After 13 years – and many submissions by Deadheads including GD lyricist Robert Hunter – Dodd compiled an encyclopedic book with annotations on nearly every Dead original and many covers.

5. Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia – Robert Greenfield

Jerry Garcia’s life story isn’t filled with sunshine and lollipops; Captain Trips had some major demons that kept him down for decades. Dark Star was a painful but intriguing read filled with interviews from nearly 70 Grateful Dead associates. Sometimes oral biographies have a tendency to be choppy and lack focus, but Greenfield weaves the words of Jerry’s friends well and engages the reader throughout.

4. Home Before Daylight: My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead – Steve Parish

No one spent more time with Jerry Garcia than roadie Steve Parish. Parish waited till Jerry was long gone to finally put his thoughts together in a respectful way, but with plenty of inside stories to keep us entertained. Look for a movie based on Parish’s book soon.

3. Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead – Phil Lesh

Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh penned an autobiography in 2005, just in time to celebrate the band’s 40th Anniversary. Lesh tells the story of the band’s early days from his own perspective. He doesn’t ignore the bad times and injects his personality throughout.

2. Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead – David Gans and Peter Simon

I would hide under my covers after lights out at summer camp to read one of the first – and still one of the best – histories of the band. There have been plenty of exhaustive examinations of the band, but for a newcomer to the scene this book’s light touch gives the perfect intro to the history of the Dead.

1. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead – Dennis McNally

Whereas Playing In The Band is perfect for the casual Deadhead, Dennis McNally’s book offers new information for even the most seasoned of veteran fans. McNally was originally hired by the Dead to write a biography but his duties as the band’s publicist kept him away from that task as they toured the country throughout the ’80s and into the mid ’90s. At over 600 pages, A Long Strange Trip tackles every era of the band’s existence in depth. This masterfully written volume stands out as the definitive book on the Dead.