Canongate to publish facsimile edition of hand-drawn Joni Mitchell book

Canongate has snapped up the rights to a rare book of poetry, lyrics and watercolours by singer Joni Mitchell. 

In 1971, Mitchell created Morning Glory on the Vine, a selection of handwritten lyrics and poems, accompanied by more than 30 full-colour illustrations, paintings and watercolours, and gave the gift to her friends. 

The book was hand-produced in Los Angeles and limited to 100 signed and numbered copies. Copies of the book have rarely been seen in the past half-century.

In conjunction with Mitchell’s 75th birthday celebrations, Morning Glory on the Vine: Early Songs and Drawings by Joni Mitchell, will be made publicly available for the first time.

Canongate will publish a facsimile edition, containing the book’s complete original content, plus a new introduction written by Joni and a number of her additional paintings, made at the time of the book's creation, that were not included in the 1971 edition. 

The book was pre-empted for Canongate by publishing director Francis Bickmore from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein, on behalf of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for simultaneous publication on 22nd October 2019. 

Bickmore said: “Joni Mitchell’s influence on popular culture is peerless. There is simply no one like her. Her fearless pursuit of honesty and art, her gift for storytelling and her incalculably beautiful melodies and voice – all of these have been inspirations and companions to me, as to so many others, for decades. This book is a celebration of her talents as lyricist, poet and artist. 

“We are proud at Canongate to become Joni Mitchell’s British publisher. And will be making this a lead title in hardback this October, contributing to the worldwide celebration of her 75th birthday. We look forward to working closely with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in the States to make this an unmissable worldwide event this autumn.”