Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

12.10.2007 -- Review by: C. Eric Banister

Coinciding with the release of a 3 DVD/1 CD documentary box set of the same name (a Best Buy exclusive), the book is written in the same documentary format containing several stories not featured in the film. Told by Petty, the Heartbreakers and those close to them, the stories offer insight into the making of some of their greatest hits. Focusing not only on his work with the Heartbreakers, the book discusses the Traveling Wilburys and Petty’s solo work recounting the events that lead to the works.

The 2-DVD documentary reaches great depths of the bands career and leaves no topic untouched. It would be impossible in a book of this size to get to those depths, but it does give a great overview.

What the book does offer that the film does not are reproductions of great magazine covers and other pieces of Petty memorabilia. There are rare band photos going back to Mudcrutch, Pettys first band, all the way to the present incarnation of the Heartbreakers. The choice to make the book over-sized was an excellent decision on the part of the publishers. The full-color cover, postcard, poster, album cover and photo reproductions jump from the page and is like looking into Pettys’ personal collection of artifacts. The book design is so detailed that removing the dustjacket reveals a series of deeply embossed Heartbreaker logos on the front and back covers.

Runnin’ Down A Dream is a rare book that offers something unique to the die-hard fan while still providing an excellent primer for those not familiar with the work of Tom Petty.