All of them

Why not research it yourself? Why the need to be spoonfed? Why would you even trust the opinion of a single person here?

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Go to GoodReads.com and read reader reviews of these books. Go to Amazon and read the reviews of readers there. Search here for these books and read what is said. Etc.

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And perhaps then come back here and offer a summary of what you have found, and ask if others agree. Maybe you'll get additional reviews and information. Post a thread about each book you're interested in and provide a well-informed opening post. Link to previous threads and other online resources.

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Too much work? Yet you expect us to invest time and effort replying to a thread with the imaginative title "Prince books" and a one-line question that quite frankly isn't answerable.

http://prince.org/msg/7/434225

For the record, I recently read Ronin Ro's book for the second time and thought it was great- especially for someone fairly new to Prince (not me, but if you are) - it lays his career out pretty nicely.

BartVanHemelen said:

Why not research it yourself? Why the need to be spoonfed? Why would you even trust the opinion of a single person here?

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Go to GoodReads.com and read reader reviews of these books. Go to Amazon and read the reviews of readers there. Search here for these books and read what is said. Etc.

.

And perhaps then come back here and offer a summary of what you have found, and ask if others agree. Maybe you'll get additional reviews and information. Post a thread about each book you're interested in and provide a well-informed opening post. Link to previous threads and other online resources.

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Too much work? Yet you expect us to invest time and effort replying to a thread with the imaginative title "Prince books" and a one-line question that quite frankly isn't answerable.

Jesus, Bart. The OP just asked for a book recommendation, a not unreasonable request. It would have taken much less "time and effort" providing one (or ignorning the question altogether) than it would to compose your vitriolic response.

Must read!

HerecomethePurpleYoda said:

tomasz said:

It only took two responses before the OP was slammed with negativity. Prince would be so proud.....

laytonian said:

Most but there are some I'd recommend over others.
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LET'S GO CRAZY by Alan Light probably details the making of the film Purple Rain better than anything else.
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A POP LIFE, which I read part of online before it was pulled. Expensive to buy.
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....and give Mayte Garcia's book an honest chance. It's a respectful, living look by one of the few people who got as close as possible to him.
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But the one I'm waiting for is Neal Karlen's. He had 30 years of friendship and phone calls with P.
He had tapes and notes and P trusted him. I hope it all didn't get burned up in his apartment fire.
He did have his laptop with him. .
Read his Rolling Stone interviews.

I'm going to echo this.

While I've not read Light's book yet, I do like his take on Prince over the years. A POP LIFE is a must.

DMSR by Per Nilsen is a must as well.

Mayte's book is eye opening. I don't know why people have to try and shit on her so much over it. I've said before if I wanna hear anyone's story, it's her. She's married him, lived with him, etc. Friends are fine, but she was the most beautiful. It's a wonderful read.

I might read Toure's book. A lot of the others are just hopping on the purple wagon. Some were published a week or 10 days after he died. No way they'd get any attention from me.

tomasz said:

The Life And Times of Prince by Matt Thorne is very good, surprised it hasn't been mentioned already.

laytonian said:

purplefam99 said:

Is DMSR out of print? I can't find it at a reasonable price.

Last time I looked it was, so it sounds like it still is.

laurarichardson said:

I just order the Mayte's book due to the praise here. I noticed that the already 570 readers on Amazon have given the book an average of 4.7 stars out of 5.0. While I know public taste and the wisdom of these types of reviews is debatable, it still is noteworthy that it did so much better than most books on Prince.

gandorb said:

Dig If You Will The Picture: Funk, Sex, God and Genius In the Music of Prince by Ben Greenman

It's been a while since I read it but it goes to 2014 or so. Good overall view of his music.

The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988 by Alex Hahn and Laura Tiebert

Good read of the early years, early relationships and the rise.

Prince by Matt Throne

Again, been a while, but it was released in 2012. Excellent resource and reference material.

Jason Draper's book Prince: Life & Times was rushed to press, IMO, and has some errors (if you're a long time fan.)

21 Nights: Prince by Randee St. Nichols is just wonderful to have. The photos are gorgeous and nothing but P's lyrics inside.

Misslink88 said:

purplefam99 said:

laurarichardson said:

Neal was clowning Prince hard a few months before he died. I would like to think the fire was Prince getting even from beyond the grave.

What do u mean clowning?? Joking around with him??

No, I mean saying some really negative stuff. I was very surprised when Prince died at the way he crying and carrying on.

http://www.startribune.com/c-j-neal-karlen-knows-lots-about-prince-just-don-t-call-him-the-prince-guy/375088911/

[Edited 8/8/17 4:36am]

Steve Parke's book is a must have - great stories and art.

Mick Wall's less so, just a by thge numbers biography.

Jason Thorne's is exhaustive but rewarding.

Alan Lights is a great and warming read about the whole Purple Rain phenomenon.

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Anything by Per Nilsen is worth its weight in Gold. I am still seeking that copy of Days of Wild but hold on to my late 90s copy of DMSR like a Rosetta stone. I will read nearly anything, but only waste ca$h monae on the best stuff.

Prince: A Pop Life by Dave Hill (If it's out of print, you can still get it through library loan through your local library (Your local library can get it from any other library in America), or, if you are willing to pay for the copies, the library of congress will copy it for you. At least that is what a friend did when he needed it for his Master's thesis.) I'm so happy to have my own copy of this. It's a great read.

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The Lyrics of Prince: A Literary Look by C. Liegh McInnis

BartVanHemelen said:

Why not research it yourself? Why the need to be spoonfed? Why would you even trust the opinion of a single person here?

.

Go to GoodReads.com and read reader reviews of these books. Go to Amazon and read the reviews of readers there. Search here for these books and read what is said. Etc.

.

And perhaps then come back here and offer a summary of what you have found, and ask if others agree. Maybe you'll get additional reviews and information. Post a thread about each book you're interested in and provide a well-informed opening post. Link to previous threads and other online resources.

.

Too much work? Yet you expect us to invest time and effort replying to a thread with the imaginative title "Prince books" and a one-line question that quite frankly isn't answerable.

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Man, just list some books you be done read already.

The Rise of Orince / Alex Hahn and Laura Tiebert - absolutely essential reading.

I thought it was just about stuff released since his death or in the past two years, but I agree that Dave Hill's Prince a Pop Life from 1989 is essential and I am lucky enough to have a worn 1990 edition of it (Same as 1989 version except it shows a Parade era shot of Prince waving).

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Another really good book is Ronin Ros even if it has several mistakes. Liz Jones 1998 Slave to the Rhythm is hit and miss, but has a very good level of detail about his 1996/97 era Breakdown and the child fiasco.

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Books to avoid are "Prince by Steven Ivory" a mega cheep 1980s Purple Rain paperback, Brian Morton's thief in the Temple, Prince's 21 nights. They pretty much add nothing to Prince's legacy.

I guess it depends on what you're looking for.

If you're looking for "facts", you won't find them in this one, but if you're looking for some beautiful personal stories and stunning pictures (!), you could try Steve Parke's "Picturing Prince : An Intimate Portrait". As his former art director he spent quite some time - especially at night - working with/talking to Prince at Paisley Park. (The book was published a few months ago, I believe, and contains some never-before-published pictures.)

I would have to agree with Starlit in that it depends on what you are looking for. A lot of people on the site spoke highly of Per Nilsen's dance, music, sex, romance and I was actually able to locate that at my local library, as well as Possessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince by Alex Hahn. I enjoyed both of those. I admit that I tend to favor books which have more personal information about Prince and therefore, I think that's why I enjoyed Possessed more than Prince: the man and his music by Matt Thorne. I really couldn't get into Prince: Inside the music and the Masks, nor Prince: A Thief in the Temple and never finished reading either of those.