Coming in June: ‘The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts and Lyrics’ (Nearly 600 Pages!)

The Doors would not have been The Doors without the singular energy of Jim Morrison and his lyricism, which exemplified the group’s mystique and place in music history as much as anything else.

This June, HarperCollins will publish an exhaustive collection of Morrison’s poetry, lyrics, and other written material as The Collected Works of Jim Morrison: Poetry, Journals, Transcripts and Lyrics. The project was undertaken with the full cooperation and authorization of his estate, and looks to be the most definitive collection of his written works ever published.

We are delighted to announce THE COLLECTED WORKS OF JIM MORRISON—an anthology of the writings and personal images of the late poet. 50% of this volume has never been published before.

Now available for pre-order, and available on June 8, 2021: https://t.co/9SnNdz5DS6 pic.twitter.com/A33MrkMhHh

— Jim Morrison (@JimMorrison) February 23, 2021

Per Rolling Stone, the collection includes most of Morrison’s previously published works, including previous writing collections Wilderness and The American Night, but a wealth of the content in this new release has never before been officially published:

But roughly half the book consists of previously unpublished material, including unrecorded lyrics, handwritten excerpts from 28 recently discovered notebooks, and 160 photos and drawings (including rarely seen family photos). Among the excerpts from Morrison’s notebooks will be his thoughts on his trial in Miami in 1970 (he was found guilty of indecent exposure and open profanity), as well as what are believed to be Morrison’s final writings — the contents of a Paris notebook from shortly before his death, “reproduced in full reading size,” according to the publisher.

Other rarities include Morrison’s treatment for The Hitchhiker, a movie project in which he played a murderous drifter; parts of it were eventually filmed as his experimental movie HWY. An accompanying audiobook includes the first-ever release of Morrison’s final poetry recording session, held in an L.A. studio on his 27th birthday in December 1970; it’s accompanied by a transcript of that tape.