Prince and Purple Rain

• A lush purple velvet slipcase with gold-foil lettering
• A foreword by Prince superfan Maya Rudolph
• Stunning performance and off-stage photography
• Interviews with musicians who worked with Prince
• Images of memorabilia from top collectors 

• Prince’s youth and early music career in Minneapolis, as well as each of the five studio albums that preceded Purple Rain
• Prince’s backing band, The Revolution, and the backgrounds of each of its individual members, with an emphasis on the Purple Rain studio and touring members: drummer Bobby Z, bassist Brown Mark, guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman, and keyboardist Matt Fink
• Track-by-track analyses of each side
• A look at the groundbreaking film of the same name and its multiplatinum soundtrack
• Awards, accolades, and critical reception
• Prince’s legacy post–Purple Rain, up to his untimely death in 2016

The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, The Who & Quadrophenia, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, and Queen & A Night at the Opera, with more to come.

Andrea Swensson is an author, podcast host, and music journalist based in Minneapolis. She has written for numerous outlets, including NPR Music, Pitchfork, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, City Pages, and 89.3 The Current, where she hosted “The Local Show.” She is the author of Quarto's bestselling Prince and Purple Rain: 40 Years. Her other books are Deeper Blues, a biography of blues musician (and Jimmy Jam’s father) Cornbread Harris, and Got to Be Something Here: The Rise of the Minneapolis Sound, a Minnesota Book Award winner chronicling the city's funk and soul scene from the 1950s to the 1970s.