Are You Experienced?

Woodstock took place 40 years ago this August (60 miles away from the eponymous town in upstate New York), and publishers are paying tribute with a variety of books on the subject. There are tie-ins to Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock, in theaters August 14, along with photographic tributes and "I was there" accounts. With the exception of the children's picture book Max Said Yes, publishers seem to be targeting readers of a certain age (who, incidentally, buy more books than any other group).

THE MOVIE TIE-INS
Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life
by Elliot Tiber (Square One, June)
Concert planning, plus notes on brushes with Mark Rothko and Robert Mapplethorpe

Taking Woodstock: The Shooting Script
by James Schamus and Ang Lee (Newmarket, Aug.)
Official screenplay, plus photos of the event and movie stills

THE INSIDE STORY
The Road to Woodstock: From the Man Behind the Legendary Festival
by Michael Lang (Ecco, June)
Remembrances from Lang, "mastermind and creative genius" behind Woodstock; members of the Dead; and others

BIG PICTURES
Woodstock: Peace, Music and Memories
by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague (Krause Publications, July)
256 full-color pages of all three days, plus memorabilia valuations (original Woodstock crew shirt: $350)

Woodstock: Three Days That Rocked the World
by Mike Evans, Paul Kingsbury and Martin Scorsese (Sterling, July)
288 full-color pages on Woodstock's origins, the event and its aftermath.

Woodstock Vision: The Spirit of a Generation
by Elliott Landy (Backbeat, June)
224 full-color pages from an "official photographer" for the festival, including never-before-seen shots

AVERAGE JOES REMEMBER
Woodstock Revisited: 50 Far Out, Groovy, Peace-Loving, Flashback-Inducing Stories from Those Who Were There
by Susan Reynolds (Adams Media, June)
Read about Lisa, who fed half a million kids muesli that she mixed up in (new) plastic trash cans, and other everyday people

MUSIC HISTORY
Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock
by Pete Fornatale (Touchstone, June)
The deejay interviews Joan Baez, David Crosby, Joe Cocker and other headliners

By the Time We Got to Woodstock: The Great Rock 'n' Roll Revolution of 1969
by Bruce Pollock (Backbeat Books, Sept.)
Documents outdoor music parties from Woodstock to Altamont

THE YEAR IN REVIEW
TIME 1969: Woodstock, the Moon and Manson
by editors of Time magazine (Time, June)
Woodstock plus Americans on the moon, Charles Manson, and Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick incident

IN DIALOGUE
Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to "Woodstock"
by Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock (Woodstock Arts, July)
Transcript of a 2008 panel discussion with Michael Lang and locals who were there

Woodstock: The Oral History, 40th Anniversary Edition
by Joel Makower and Michael Lang (SUNY Press, July)
Interviews with musicians, neighbors and employees at the food concessions

THE KIDS' VERSION
Max Said Yes! The Woodstock Story
by Abigail Yasgur, Joseph Lipner and Barbara Mendes (Change the Universe Press, May)
A picture book complete with illustrations of flower children, VW buses and peace signs

Learn more at Publishers Weekly