Book contains a collection of writings from The Doors frontman
HarperCollins is set to publish The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts, and Lyrics featuring nearly 600 pages of unrecorded lyrics, excerpts from handwritten notebooks, a film treatment and more from the late Doors frontman. The book will be available on June 8th and was assembled in partnership with his estate.
Most of his previously published work featuring song lyrics and poetry, and the entire posthumously published Wilderness and The American Night, will be included. However, about half of the pages contain previously unpublished material including unrecorded lyrics, handwritten excerpts from 28 recently discovered notebooks, and 160 photos and drawings including rarely seen family photos, Rolling Stone reports.
Among the gems from Morrison’s notebooks include his thoughts on his guilty verdict for indecent exposure and open use of profanity in Miami in 1970. Also included are believed to be his final writings in a notebook in Paris shortly before his death at the age of 27 in 1971 have been “reproduced in full reading size.”
The publication also includes a treatment for The Hitchhiker, a movie project that was set to star himself as a murderous drifter. Parts of the movie were filmed as the experimental HWY: An American Pastoral as Morrison had begun exploring opportunities outside of music.
The book’s foreword was written by author and longtime Doors fan Tom Robbins with Morrison’s sister, Anne Morrison Chewning, contributing a prologue.
Rhino is also planning a 50th anniversary of the band’s L.A. Woman album with more details to be announced.
