Mick Rock. The Rise of David Bowie, 1972-1973

In 1972, David Bowie released his groundbreaking album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With it landed Bowie’s Stardust alter-ego: A glitter-clad, mascara-eyed, sexually-ambiguous persona who kicked down the boundaries between male and female, straight and gay, fact and fiction into one shifting and sparkling phenomenon of ’70s self-expression. Together, Ziggy the album and Ziggy the stage spectacular propelled the softly spoken Londoner into one of the world’s biggest stars.

A key passenger on this glam trip into the stratosphere was fellow Londoner and photographer Mick Rock. Rock bonded with Bowie artistically and personally, immersed himself in the singer’s inner circle, and, between 1972–1973, worked as Bowie’s official photographer. This book brings together the best of Rock’s Bowie portfolio withspectacular stage shots as well as intimate backstage portraits.

With a lenticular cover of different head-shots, the book stands to celebrate Bowie’s fearless experimentation and reinvention. Inside, pictures for press, album jackets, and stills from promo movies sit alongside around 50 percent previously unpublished images, offering privileged access to the many facets of the Bowie’s personality and fame. Through the aloof and approachable, the playful and serious, the candid and the contrived, this is a passionate tribute to an oustanding artist, unique creative vision, and eternal inspiration.