Freddie Biographies
'MERCURY: THE KING OF QUEEN' By Laura Jackson,
1st published 1996 - Hardback (HB), 1997 Paperback (PB)
Sensationalist at times, but contains quite a few nice black and white photos.
'The definitive book of one of rock's greatest legends.......a great read' ( BBC)
Mercury: The King of Queen (Hardback)
Paperback version
In depth biography, some of the photos not seen previously, including some of
Freddie in his early years in India. The author 'toured with Queen and
became firm friends with them'.
Paperback version of Lesley-Ann-Jones book
'MERCURY AND ME', by Jim Hutton,
1st published Bloomsbury, 1994.
Controversial with some Freddie/Queen fans, but I enjoyed the book.
Written from the personal point of view of Jim, Freddie's last long-term
boyfriend, (or 'husband 'depending on your point of view)
'Freddie was an honest man, I felt he deserved an honest book', (Jim Hutton)
Mercury
and Me
'FREDDIE MERCURY: A KIND OF MAGIC', A Tribute to Freddie Mercury' by Ross
Clarke.
Kingsfleet Publications, Surrey, England, 1991.
A good book for lots of Freddie photos.
The book was written very shortly after Freddie's death which may explain why
the date of death is written as the 25th November instead of the 24th.
There are tributes from a dozen or so celebrities in the back.
A proportion of the profits from the book were donated to
the Terrence Higgins Trust, - an AIDS charity.
Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic
'THE FREDDIE MERCURY STORY: LIVING ON THE
EDGE' by David Bret,
1st published 1996 by Robson Books Ltd. London.
Based on interviews with Freddie's 'close friends, fellow
musicians and lovers who have spoken with great warmth of his loves,
heartbreaks, triumphs, and private fears.........'
Forword by Montserrat Caballe.
This book has now been re-issued in paperback with a
new black and white cover, (see below).
Published by Robson Books in 1999.
The Freddie Mercury Story: Living on The Edge
'MR MERCURY',, by Peter Freestone ('Phoebe' Freddie's personal assistant from 1979) - Co-Written by David Evans, a good friend of Freddie's and a novelist. 1st published 1998, by TUSITALA , London
The first 500 books were signed by Peter, this is number 366.
The
book gives a different perspective than most of the other biographies
- A close up picture of day to day life with Freddie, and an inside view of his approach to working and making music , including details of what happens
backstage during concert tours. Told honestly and with insight.
Re-issued
as 'Freddie Mercury: An Intimate Memoir By The Man Who Knew Him Best'
by Peter Freestone, published by Omnibus Press (Nov. 2001).
There are two different versions of front cover (see below) The hardback version is around £14.99, and the paperback around £8.99.
Freddie
Mercury: An intimate Memoir by the man who knew him best
Hardback Paperback
'THE SHOW MUST GO ON: THE LIFE OF FREDDIE MERCURY'
by Rick Sky,
1st published 1992, Harper Collins (Revised 1994)
Well written, featuring black and white photos, and revealing interviews with
friends and colleagues.
A proportion of the profits are donated to The
Terrence Higgins Trust
'FREDDIE MERCURY: THE REAL LIFE' by David Evans and David
Minns,
published 1997, Antaeus Press
By two people who knew Freddie well. His closest friends recall their memories
of Freddie, starting with their first impressions on meeting him. Some have also
provided their private black and white photos.
'The untold story of the Queen star's rise to rock greatness' (Daily Mail)
'This is The Real Life', 1992 version of book
Mini Biography From a Series of Books on Celebrities:
'THEY DIED TOO YOUNG', written by Simon Boyce.
Published by Parragon Books, 1995.
The picture shows the front and back cover.
Not very much detail, obviously, as it is such a small book. Some nice
colour photos.
'THE FREDDIE MERCURY TRIBUTE : CONCERT FOR AIDS AWARENESS'
Published by International Music Publications Ltd. (IMP) England, 1993
Lots of Pictures from the Freddie Tribute Concert.
Profits from the Book are donated to the Mercury
Phoenix Trust
The Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert For Aids Awareness
'BACK TO THE ROOTS OF FREDDIE MERCURY: FROM ZANZIBAR TO LONDON'
written by Frank (No surname given)
First published in Holland, 1999 (Seems to be self-published)
Biography covers the time the title suggests, from his birth in Zanzibar, to his
arrival in England as a teenager.
Lots of photos of the environment Freddie grew up in, and particularly
places related to Freddie. Also early photos of Freddie as a baby, child and
young boy. Also has some details about Zanzibar culture and history.
This book has been deleted so is unfortunately no longer available.
QUEEN: THE SECRET REVEALED A Kind Of
Magic, By Melina Richardson; (1997) Published by Magic Publications Ltd.,
London. The 
author tells the story of her troubled childhood and later life. If
the writer is telling the truth, (and she does sound like she genuinely believes
what she writes), it is a convincing story of reincarnation
and survival of life after death. You need to be open-minded to fully
appreciate the book, but in any case it is well-written and fascinating as a
biography.
Some of the comments on the back cover:
'No comment'
- Queen
'Very Interesting -
but don't repeat that, Phyl Symes, Queen PR
'I Know it's true' - Jim Jenkins, Queen Official
Biographer
'There's no doubt it is Freddie' -
Peter Straker (close friend of Freddies)
'Enchanting' - Sunday
Times Magazine
'Fascinating' - Daily
Mail