The Collected Works of Jim Morrison

This year marks 50 years since the passing of Jim Morrison. Jim took the route of stardom as the singer of The Doors. He always fancied himself as a poet and wanted to be taken seriously in that craft. The Lords and the New Creatures, Morrison’s first book, was published in 1970 and was considered pretentious at best. His Dionysus complex made him a drunkard buffoon in the eyes of the literary world. Doors fans on the other hand consider his poetic material differently. Morrison is getting the royal treatment with a definite anthology of all his writing. For the first time, unpublished material will be released to the public. The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is an almost 600-page anthology of the writings that promises to please all fans of Jim Morrison.

The definitive anthology of Jim Morrison’s writings with rare photographs and numerous handwritten excerpts of unpublished and published poetry and lyrics from his 28 privately held notebooks.

Created in collaboration with Jim Morrison’s estate and inspired by a posthumously discovered list entitled “Plan for Book,” The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is an almost 600-page anthology of the writings of the late poet and iconic Doors’ frontman. This landmark publication is the definitive opus of Morrison’s creative output—and the book he intended to publish. Throughout, a compelling mix of 160 visual components accompanies the text: excerpts from his 28 privately held notebooks—all written in his own hand and published here for the first time—as well as an array of personal images and commentary on the work by Morrison himself.

This oversized, beautifully produced collectible volume contains a wealth of new material—poetry, writings, lyrics, and audio transcripts of Morrison reading his work. Not only the most comprehensive book of Morrison’s work ever published, it is immersive, giving readers insight to the creative process of and offering access to the musings and observations of an artist whom the poet Michael McClure called “one of the finest, clearest spirits of our times.”

This remarkable collector’s item includes:

Foreword by Tom Robbins; introduction and notes by editor Frank Lisciandro that provide insight to the work; prologue by Anne Morrison Chewning
Published and unpublished work and a vast selection of notebook writings
The transcript, the only photographs in existence, and production notes of Morrison’s last poetry recording on his twenty-seventh birthday
The Paris notebook, possibly Morrison’s final journal, reproduced at full reading size
Excerpts from notebooks kept during his 1970 Miami trial
The shooting script and gorgeous color stills from the never-released film HWY
Complete published and unpublished song lyrics accompanied by numerous drafts in Morrison’s hand
Epilogue: “As I Look Back”: a compelling autobiography in poem form
Family photographs as well as images of Morrison during his years as a performer

Hear Jim Morrison’s final poetry recording, now available for the first time, on CD or digital audiobook, at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles on his twenty-seventh birthday, December 8, 1970. The digital audiobook also includes performances by Patti Smith, Oliver Ray, Liz Phair, Tom Robbins, and others reading Morrison’s work.

Performed by Jim Morrison, Patti Smith, Liz Phair, Oliver Ray, Tom Robbins, Frank Lisciandro, Anne Morrison Chewning, Sefton Graham, and Ian Morrison. Includes Jim Morrison’s final poetry recording, now available for the first time, at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles on his 27th birthday, December 8, 1970.

The definitive anthology of Jim Morrison’s writings with rare photographs and numerous handwritten excerpts of unpublished and published poetry and lyrics from his 28 privately held notebooks.

Created in collaboration with Jim Morrison’s estate and inspired by a posthumously discovered list entitled “Plan for Book,” The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is an almost 600-page anthology of the writings of the late poet and iconic Doors’ front man. This landmark publication is the definitive opus of Morrison’s creative output—and the book he intended to publish. Throughout, a compelling mix of 160 visual components accompanies the text: excerpts from his 28 privately held notebooks—all written in his own hand and published here for the first time—as well as an array of personal images and commentary on the work by Morrison himself.

This remarkable collector’s item includes:

Foreword by Tom Robbins; introduction and notes by editor Frank Lisciandro that provide insight to the work; prologue by Anne Morrison Chewning
Published and unpublished work and a vast selection of notebook writings
The transcript, the only photographs in existence, and production notes of Morrison’s last poetry recording on his twenty-seventh birthday
The Paris notebook, possibly Morrison’s final journal, reproduced at full reading size
Excerpts from notebooks kept during his 1970 Miami trial
The shooting script and gorgeous color stills from the never-released film HWY
Complete published and unpublished song lyrics accompanied by numerous drafts in Morrison’s hand
Epilogue: “As I Look Back”: a compelling autobiography in poem form
Family photographs as well as images of Morrison during his years as a performer

Hear Jim Morrison’s final poetry recording, now available for the first time, on CD or digital audio book, at the Village Recorder in West Los Angeles on his twenty-seventh birthday, December 8, 1970. The digital audio book also includes performances by Patti Smith, Oliver Ray, Liz Phair, Tom Robbins, and others reading Morrison’s work.

Tony Medeiros

About the Author

Tony Medeiros is the founder and publisher of Sandbox World. For more than 20 years, he has written about pop culture, books, comics, movies, television, music, gaming, and the nostalgic moments that continue to shape fandom. His goal is simple: help readers discover something worth talking about.