David Bowie Is

“Combining top-notch articles on the singer/actor’s life and work with official images and reproductions of his fashion and associated ephemera, the hefty, mango-colored [David Bowie Is] is nothing short of a treasure trove of all things Bowie; a one-stop smorgasbord for the eyes whose pictorials chronicle the groundbreaking star from Ziggy Stardust to Thin White Duke to Heathen and every personality in between.” ―Examiner.com

This is the gift book to celebrate David Bowie’s career as a pioneering artist. It features more than 300 color illustrations, including personal and performance photographs, album covers, costumes, original lyric sheets, and much more.

Published to accompany the blockbuster international exhibition launched at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, this is the only volume that grants access to Bowie’s personal archive of performance costumes, ephemera, and original design artwork by the artist, bringing it together to present a completely new perspective on his creative work and collaborations.

David Bowie Is traces his career from its beginnings in London, through the breakthroughs of Space Oddity and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and on to his enormous impact on 20th-century music and art.

Essays by V&A curators on Bowie’s London, image, and influence on the fashion world are complemented by Howard Goodall on musicology; Camille Paglia on gender and decadence; and Jon Savage on Bowie’s relationship with William Burroughs and his fans.

This coffee table book is perfect for sharing, gifting, and displaying.

Victoria Broackes is director, London Design Biennale. Geoffrey Marsh is former keeper, Theatre & Performance at the V&A.