Through the years, I've read almost every book written about Springsteen. Some are great and many are not. Over time, I've even become cynical when I hear about new books. In the last few years, there have been a plethora of coffee table book releases in the Springsteen world. Each one in itself is a gorgeous work of art that will glisten on your polished coffee table. However, chances are you are still missing the ultimate Bruce Springsteen keepsake; For You. When I heard about this book a year ago, I dismissed it thinking I didn't really need yet another glorified coffee table book. I was wrong... dead wrong. For You takes the reader on a magical, mystical and poignant journey through forty-years of Bruce Springsteen's life. It's a time machine to the past where tickets were once $7, the E Street Band was a boy's only club, Steve Van Zandt looked like a member of Jimmy Buffet's band and most of the members of the E Street Band could have begun their own television show-"Stashin'". I wasn't impressed with the book, I was bowled over.

For You was worked on meticulously for a two-year period and is a self-published book limited to 2,000 copies filled with unbridled passion. Editor Lawrence Kirsch had very ardent and strict rules compiling this book; only scans from original negatives and slides were considered. I don't know anyone who would hold a book to standards this high today in the age of internet scans and cell phone photos. I'm glad he did, as For You is staggering in its detail, vastness and variety of concert shots. Kirsch dug his heels in, shot for the moon and the stars while putting this book together and succeeded wildly. It's an awe-inspiring book that should be on your book shelf even if you aren't a Springsteen fan because it would convert you without hearing a note of his music; it's that impressive. It encompasses every Springsteen tour in detail (organized by decades) and has over 400-pictures. The book contains 200 stories from fans explaining why this music and this band mean so much to them. The good news for fans is that the largest section (close to 70-pages) is the 1970's and many of these photos I didn't even knew existed and let me tell you, they are a sight to behold. They range from epic concert poses to random softball games where someone was fortunate to have a camera on hand. The 1980's is a close second in coverage with 53-pages dedicated to the decade and even the most current decade has a whopping 50-pages dedicated to it. You see pictures of Bruce with assorted musicians through the years including John Eddie, Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi and Neil Young.

The difference between For You and most other books commissioned by the artists themselves is that there wasn't a 4th quarter release or special anniversary being exploited dictating the contents or the constraints of it. The book is held together by passionate and resourceful fans whose main objective was to provide fans with the best damn book possible. Saying that Kirsch succeeded would be saying that Born in the USA was a semi-successful. For You is a photographic passage through forty years of Bruce Springsteen's career. The photographs are not just revealing and are more than mere images, but part of a larger story of just not Springsteen's life, but many fans as well. The detailed anecdotes make the pictures jump off the page and come to life. For You provides a better history lesson of who Bruce Springsteen is better than any album, DVD or book has done to date.

For You is an epic visual storytelling time machine that encourages you to hop on for a ride down thunderous roads to simpler times for a journey through the heart of darkness where the fans feel so close and intimately personal with Springsteen like he's an old college buddy. This book is not just a fine addition to your collection, but is essential for any Springsteen fan. It is a treasure trove of pictures and stories that will not just take you for a ride down memory lane, but will leave you with an impenetrable sense of hope much the same way you feel cruising down the highway and having “Thunder Road" blast from your speakers with the wind in your hair. When was the last time the written word did that?
http://www.Foryoubruce.com

Listen, Slider. You don't seem like a dumb person, and you obviously took care in writing that. However, here's a marketing tip.

If you're going to go somewhere and praise your product informally, stick to it.

Don't take the brief hyperbole bullshit road. We're utterly familiar with that line of speech, and it just makes you annoying.

At best, you could have simply asked us if we've read the book. Don't post the link until we declare some interest. If you do post it even then, do it as casually as possible.

Try out my approach from now on. You might say it's less glittery, but it also works far, far better.