With a new foreword by Pearl Jam’s longtime friend and fan Cameron Crowe, this New York Times bestselling book is an intimate and lavishly illustrated portrait of one of the world’s most influential and successful bands.

In 1991, Pearl Jam’s debut album, Ten, catapulted the little-known Seattle-based band into superstardom. Then, at the height of their popularity, the band shunned the spotlight, refusing to shoot videos or do interviews. Even as Pearl Jam’s studio albums continued to receive critical acclaim and success, selling more than 60 million albums worldwide, the inner workings of the band—their day-to-day routines, motivations, and aspirations—remained unknown even to their diehard fans.

Told with wit, passion, and remarkable candor, Pearl Jam chronicles their two-decade journey, from the years leading up to the group’s formation to their latest self-released chart-topper Backspacer. The result is an unprecedented self-portrait filled with little known stories and anecdotes; personal memorabilia, tour notes, and set lists; and never-before-seen Polaroids, drawings, and letters. The group also takes you inside the studio with chapters chronicling the making of each record and original interviews by contemporaries and legends like Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, Ben Harper, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, and Neil Young.

Imbued with Pearl Jam’s artistic energy and do-it-yourself spirit, Pearl Jam Twenty is the definitive story of an unconventional band that established itself as “the greatest American rock band ever” (USA TODAY Readers’ Poll 2005).