From the 11-year-old’s skiffle performance at the 18th Bromley Scouts’ Summer Camp in 1958 to the 57-year-old’s health problems on the 2004 world tour and subsequent low-key activities, this book discusses and dissects every last move in rock’s most fascinating career. A detailed production history and analysis is presented for each album, from 1967’s David Bowie to 2003’s Reality, as well as the recent Best of Bowie DVD and the anniversary reissues of classic albums like Aladdin Sane and Black Tie White Noise. Hundreds of individual entries reveal the facts and anecdotes behind specific songs—not just the famous recordings, but also the most obscure of unreleased rarities, from "Absolute Beginners" to "Ziggy Stardust" and from "Abdulmajid" to "Zion." Other incredibly detailed subjects covered include the tours—set lists and histories of every live show, and Bowie as actor—a complete guide to his stage and screen work, the videos, the BBC radio sessions, the paintings, the Internet, and for true Bowie fanatics, included is the most exhaustive day-by-day calendar of Bowie’s career ever published.