Harper Design scores anthology Jim Morrison 'intended to publish'

Harper Design is to release The Collected Works of Jim Morrison, a 600-page anthology of his writings, nearly half of which have never been published before.

Billed as the volume The Doors frontman "intended to publish", it has been created in collaboration with Morrison's estate and was inspired by a posthumously discovered list entitled “Plan for Book”.

The volume features160 visual components accompanying the text with excerpts from his 28 privately held notebooks, all written in his own hand and published for the first time, as well as an array of personal images and commentary on the work by Morrison himself. The book will be available in the UK on 10th June 2021 with an r.r.p. of £40.

Executive editor Elizabeth Sullivan said: “Jim Morrison is an enduring, influential force in the world of entertainment as well as one of the most notable poets of his generation. The Collected Works of Jim Morrison is a highly curated anthology of his prodigious creative output. This is an exceptional collection we’re thrilled and honoured to publish in conjunction with Jim’s family, Jennifer Gates at Aevitas, and the incredible support of JAM Inc, the estate’s manager, who gave us unprecedented access to the Morrison archives.”

The accompanying audiobook makes available for the first time the full recording of Morrison’s last poetry recording session at the Village Recorder on his 27th birthday in 1970. A complete transcript of the poems read during the session also appears in the book.

“This is a historic moment,” Sullivan said. “The full digital audiobook will not only include Jim’s reading, but readings of his work by other artists, including Patti Smith and Oliver Ray.”

The book also features a foreword by Tom Robbins, introduction and notes by longtime Morrison friend, photographer, and film-maker Frank Lisciandro and a prologue by Morrison’s sister Anne Morrison Chewning.