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Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams: The Official Visual History
Celebrating 50 years of Iron Maiden, this incomparable visual book, featuring commentary by band members past and present, and never-before-seen photography from the Iron Maiden archives, chronicles the evolution of heavy metal’s most influential and enthralling band since 1975.
Presenting iconic album and single artworks, photographs of the band’s instruments past and present, stage props, hand-written lyrics and artefacts from the Maiden archive and the band’s personal collections, as well as landmark photographs by Ross Halfin and John McMurtrie, Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams is rife with revelatory stories and intriguing insights from pivotal band members and management. It also features a foreword by band founder Steve Harris and an afterword by vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams is the official, definitive legacy volume, celebrating the band’s creativity, dedication, personality and success.
Presenting iconic album and single artworks, photographs of the band’s instruments past and present, stage props, hand-written lyrics and artefacts from the Maiden archive and the band’s personal collections, as well as landmark photographs by Ross Halfin and John McMurtrie, Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams is rife with revelatory stories and intriguing insights from pivotal band members and management. It also features a foreword by band founder Steve Harris and an afterword by vocalist Bruce Dickinson.
Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams is the official, definitive legacy volume, celebrating the band’s creativity, dedication, personality and success.
- GenresMusicNonfictionBiography
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 7, 2025
About the author
Steve Harris
78 books16 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_H...
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_H...
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 8, 2025
Fantastic and highly recommended!!!!
September 3, 2026
Me ha llevado mucho tiempo terminar de leerlo. Quería disfrutar cada página y conocer a fondo la historia de Iron Maiden y, sin duda, ha merecido la pena. Es una obra maestra, el nivel de detalle es impresionante y seguramente vuelva a revisar sus páginas en más de una ocasión. Siempre me ha gustado Iron Maiden, aunque los gustos musicales cambian de vez en cuando, nunca va a haber nada que se compare con lo que me hace sentir su música. Gracias a ellos recupero las ganas de coger la guitarra y aprender alguno de sus temas. Ojalá nos traigan música nueva y ojalá tenga la oportunidad de volver a verlos antes de que decidan retirarse.
October 10, 2026
Infinite Dreams is exactly as it says: a visual history of the band, from the formative years in the pubs of east London to the stadium-headlining world tours and everything in between. Iron Maiden have released similar books in the past (for example, Iron Maiden: On Board Flight 666), and this one follows the same format with lots of images of the band members, the stage shows, album artwork and so on. Infinite Dreams takes it a step further; there is a bigger emphasis on previously unreleased photos, and detailed images of things like guitars, tour posters and Iron Maiden Fan Club correspondence. There are also some real gems in there, such as Steve Harris' diary entries and handwritten song lyrics (on hotel letterheaded paper from the tours). But there is also plenty to read, with a narrative prose running throughout documenting the band's rise, comings and goings of band members and their struggles and triumphs. There are lots of quotes of members of the band; it feels quite a personal book in that regard. This really brings to life some of the key moments in the bands history - such as the gruelling tour schedules, musical differences leading to Adrian Smith leaving the band, and the fire within Steve Harris to push the band to greatness.
This is a wonderful treat for all Iron Maiden fans, young and old, and is everything I wished the Burning Ambition documentary would have been. The band has been covered so much over the years, so it's hard to find any new stories to tell, but Infinite Dreams has a few images and details which have never been shared before. It is a wonderfully presented book, and an absolute pleasure to read and own - I enjoyed and savoured every single page.
This is a wonderful treat for all Iron Maiden fans, young and old, and is everything I wished the Burning Ambition documentary would have been. The band has been covered so much over the years, so it's hard to find any new stories to tell, but Infinite Dreams has a few images and details which have never been shared before. It is a wonderfully presented book, and an absolute pleasure to read and own - I enjoyed and savoured every single page.
November 7, 2026
I very much enjoyed this. Not the kind of thing I'd usually buy, but I was gifted it by a friend. I've been a Maiden fan for over 30 years now, but this book really reminded me of some of those magical feelings I had for the band when I was younger and more impressionable. The book serves as a thorough, though not exhaustive, history of the band from the earliest days to the present. The photos and memorabilia within are fascinating and really chart the history of the band. Not 5 stars as the book is massive, and heavy, which makes it tiring to hold for a lengthy read and for a few typos and errors that creep in towards the end (starting, cruelly, with the Blaze era). Otherwise, a very good read for Maiden fans.
September 3, 2026
Delightful and explorative from cover to cover. Truth be told, a far better and cohesive experience than Burning Ambition. I finished the last pages of this days after seeing the Run For Your Lives Tour and it felt like the perfect cherry on top of this big celebration of Iron Maiden.
November 12, 2025
Up the Irons!
January 17, 2026
I just got this in the mail and after flipping through it for about 20 seconds I could tell it is a fucking five star book. UP THE IRONS!
January 25, 2026
Marvelous book. I particularly enjoyed pages 172-173. A must for any true Maiden fan.
Up the Irons!
Up the Irons!
August 21, 2026
I consider the band Iron Maiden a combination Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Horror Opera, Stygian and steeped in darkness kind of band.
Just slightly over 50 years ago the band started and already had a partially formed vision as to what the band, its music and it message would be.
It has stayed pretty much true to its origin and to its fans spanning the decades. You’ll see 70 year olds swaying to the band’s music right next to teenagers. That’s quite an achievement.
In the Thames & Hudson’s new oversize and thick hardbound book: Iron Maiden: Infinitive Dream The Official History, with a foreword by band member Steve Harris, delves into the impressive history of the band.
Filled with archival photos from concerts, behind-the-scenes, recording sessions and more the book also contains song lists, lyrics, personal accounts, key moments in the band’s history, triumphs, downfalls and everything associated with a band that has lasted over 50 years.
I never listened to Iron Maiden that much growing up but I did know some people who were big fans.
Looking over the book I can see how the band predated Grunge, Punk and even some Heavy Metal bands. Iron Maiden opened the door to a diverse repertoire.
It’s stage shows were unique, often disturbing, never boring and full of energy. The band's mascot Eddy the psychopathic, monster killer and horror icon has became a well-known symbol of the band.
Eddy has changed over the years taking on various personas yet always retaining his horror/blood lust identity.
The book is fascinating look into the working of a band, its longevity and place in popular music.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Just slightly over 50 years ago the band started and already had a partially formed vision as to what the band, its music and it message would be.
It has stayed pretty much true to its origin and to its fans spanning the decades. You’ll see 70 year olds swaying to the band’s music right next to teenagers. That’s quite an achievement.
In the Thames & Hudson’s new oversize and thick hardbound book: Iron Maiden: Infinitive Dream The Official History, with a foreword by band member Steve Harris, delves into the impressive history of the band.
Filled with archival photos from concerts, behind-the-scenes, recording sessions and more the book also contains song lists, lyrics, personal accounts, key moments in the band’s history, triumphs, downfalls and everything associated with a band that has lasted over 50 years.
I never listened to Iron Maiden that much growing up but I did know some people who were big fans.
Looking over the book I can see how the band predated Grunge, Punk and even some Heavy Metal bands. Iron Maiden opened the door to a diverse repertoire.
It’s stage shows were unique, often disturbing, never boring and full of energy. The band's mascot Eddy the psychopathic, monster killer and horror icon has became a well-known symbol of the band.
Eddy has changed over the years taking on various personas yet always retaining his horror/blood lust identity.
The book is fascinating look into the working of a band, its longevity and place in popular music.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
December 26, 2025
Man schlägt dieses Buch auf – und plötzlich riecht es nach Leder, Schweiß, Bier und Bühnennebel. Iron Maiden. Infinite Dreams ist kein Coffeetable-Buch, das man dekorativ herumliegen lässt. Das ist ein Manifest. Ein visuelles Donnerwetter. Ein verdammt lauter Liebesbrief an eine Band, die Heavy Metal nicht nur gespielt, sondern geprägt hat.
Schon nach wenigen Seiten setzt dieses wohlige Kribbeln ein, dieses innere Grinsen: Hier wurde nichts glattgebügelt, nichts weichgespült. Fotos, Skizzen, Setlists, Bühnenmonster, handgeschriebene Notizen – alles atmet diesen kompromisslosen Maiden-Spirit. Eddie schaut einem gefühlt direkt in die Seele, während im Hinterkopf Somewhere in Time oder Fear of the Dark losdonnern.
Besonders stark wirkt die Nähe. Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris und Wegbegleiter lassen einen nicht nur zuschauen, sondern mitgehen. Hinter die Bühne. In Proberäume. In kreative Zweifel, größenwahnsinnige Visionen und diese unerschütterliche Loyalität zu den Fans. Hier geht es nicht um Nostalgie, sondern um Haltung. Um Arbeit. Um diesen unbändigen Willen, es immer noch größer, lauter und besser zu machen.
Das Buch ist schwer, im wörtlichen wie im emotionalen Sinn. Über 600 Bilder, die nicht nur dokumentieren, sondern erzählen. Von Schweißperlen unter Scheinwerfern, von endlosen Touren, von einer Band, die nie stehen geblieben ist. Kleine Gänsehautmomente wechseln sich mit ehrfürchtigem Staunen ab – und zwischendurch ertappt man sich dabei, wie man denkt: verdammt, was für eine Reise.
Infinite Dreams fühlt sich an wie ein Backstage-Pass für fünf Jahrzehnte Metal-Geschichte. Laut, stolz, kompromisslos. Genau so, wie Iron Maiden eben sind.
Schon nach wenigen Seiten setzt dieses wohlige Kribbeln ein, dieses innere Grinsen: Hier wurde nichts glattgebügelt, nichts weichgespült. Fotos, Skizzen, Setlists, Bühnenmonster, handgeschriebene Notizen – alles atmet diesen kompromisslosen Maiden-Spirit. Eddie schaut einem gefühlt direkt in die Seele, während im Hinterkopf Somewhere in Time oder Fear of the Dark losdonnern.
Besonders stark wirkt die Nähe. Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris und Wegbegleiter lassen einen nicht nur zuschauen, sondern mitgehen. Hinter die Bühne. In Proberäume. In kreative Zweifel, größenwahnsinnige Visionen und diese unerschütterliche Loyalität zu den Fans. Hier geht es nicht um Nostalgie, sondern um Haltung. Um Arbeit. Um diesen unbändigen Willen, es immer noch größer, lauter und besser zu machen.
Das Buch ist schwer, im wörtlichen wie im emotionalen Sinn. Über 600 Bilder, die nicht nur dokumentieren, sondern erzählen. Von Schweißperlen unter Scheinwerfern, von endlosen Touren, von einer Band, die nie stehen geblieben ist. Kleine Gänsehautmomente wechseln sich mit ehrfürchtigem Staunen ab – und zwischendurch ertappt man sich dabei, wie man denkt: verdammt, was für eine Reise.
Infinite Dreams fühlt sich an wie ein Backstage-Pass für fünf Jahrzehnte Metal-Geschichte. Laut, stolz, kompromisslos. Genau so, wie Iron Maiden eben sind.
October 18, 2026
It's a pretty hefty book. You could kill someone with it, which is probably the point. It's very much a display piece, rather than something you actually read. You can have Eddy staring across the room at you from your bookshelf while you sleep, if you're into that sort of thing. And I guess I am.
That said, I did read it. Didn't take long, given that you get like one page of text to five of pictures. The pictures are various photos of the band, their album covers, and some of their merch. The text briefly covers their history from their origins on Steve's incredibly ambitious head, and over the forty plus years of domination over the global music scene that followed. Don't expect any deep lore or scandalous deets, it's all very surface level. But I enjoyed it. I guess if there's one thing I took away from it that I didn't really consider before is how quickly it all happened. Their debut was in 1980. Number of the Beast was 1982. Throughout the 80s they were putting out a masterpiece pretty much every single year. When Bruce had enough and sodded off, he was barely thirty.
So next time you feel down in the dumps and think that you're not doing anything with your life, you're absolutely right. You're not.
That said, I did read it. Didn't take long, given that you get like one page of text to five of pictures. The pictures are various photos of the band, their album covers, and some of their merch. The text briefly covers their history from their origins on Steve's incredibly ambitious head, and over the forty plus years of domination over the global music scene that followed. Don't expect any deep lore or scandalous deets, it's all very surface level. But I enjoyed it. I guess if there's one thing I took away from it that I didn't really consider before is how quickly it all happened. Their debut was in 1980. Number of the Beast was 1982. Throughout the 80s they were putting out a masterpiece pretty much every single year. When Bruce had enough and sodded off, he was barely thirty.
So next time you feel down in the dumps and think that you're not doing anything with your life, you're absolutely right. You're not.
October 25, 2025
What an amazing book this is!
The history of 50 years of the greatest heavy metal band, from the early days in 1975, to the present with the announcing of the Run for your lives - Tour, in 2025.
A loot of bandpictures, Eddies and much more. This could and should have been a five star rating but there are some remarks. Some single covers are missing, like running free (live -1985), run to the hills (live - 1985), the gravediger Eddie of the reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, etc. ... Also some live album covers are missing like Death on the Road and Nights of the Dead, the latter isn't even mentioned! Aslo the covers of the compilation albums are missing like Best of the Beast, Somewhere Back in Time and From Fear to Eternity; and covers from DVD's like Visions of the Beast and the Early Days. The Eddie Rips up the World Tour is mentioned but no photoshoots from that tour are included in the book. As you can notice, the book is far from perfect but still an amazing book of the band's history full with pictures and Eddies. A must have for every Iron Maiden, or even every metalfan in the world!
Up the Irons!
The history of 50 years of the greatest heavy metal band, from the early days in 1975, to the present with the announcing of the Run for your lives - Tour, in 2025.
A loot of bandpictures, Eddies and much more. This could and should have been a five star rating but there are some remarks. Some single covers are missing, like running free (live -1985), run to the hills (live - 1985), the gravediger Eddie of the reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, etc. ... Also some live album covers are missing like Death on the Road and Nights of the Dead, the latter isn't even mentioned! Aslo the covers of the compilation albums are missing like Best of the Beast, Somewhere Back in Time and From Fear to Eternity; and covers from DVD's like Visions of the Beast and the Early Days. The Eddie Rips up the World Tour is mentioned but no photoshoots from that tour are included in the book. As you can notice, the book is far from perfect but still an amazing book of the band's history full with pictures and Eddies. A must have for every Iron Maiden, or even every metalfan in the world!
Up the Irons!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2026
Visuaalisesti todella vaikuttava teos, joka tarjoaa aika vähän uutta asiaa tuntevalle, vaikka joitain uusia asioita tästäkin taas oppi. Pääantina ainakin itselleni oli laaja ja osittain ennennäkemätön kuvamateriaali. Kirjassa on käytetty paksua ja erittäin laadukkaan oloista valokuvapaperia, joka saa kuvat näyttämään todella hyviltä. Toisaalta laadukas painojälki näkyy myös kirjan painossa (2,5kg), joten tätä ei ollut fyysisesti ajateltuna kovin mukava lukea.
Kirja keskittyy vähemmän yllättäen pääosin bändin ensimmäiseen vuosikymmeneen. Blazen aika ja 2000-luku käydään tässä aika vauhdilla läpi, mikä on jälleen kerran aika tylsä ratkaisu. Siinä missä ensimmäisten 9 levyn osalta levyt ja kiertueet käsitellään sinkkuja ja kiertuepaitoja myöten läpi, käsittelyn yksityiskohtaisuus heikkenee, mitä lähemmäs nykyaikaa tullaan. Tämä on sääli, sillä ajanjakso 1995-2026 kattaa Iron Maidenin historiasta noin kaksi kolmasosaa ja kerrottavaa varmasti riittäisi moneen kertaan käsiteltyjen juttujen toistamisen sijaan.
Kirja keskittyy vähemmän yllättäen pääosin bändin ensimmäiseen vuosikymmeneen. Blazen aika ja 2000-luku käydään tässä aika vauhdilla läpi, mikä on jälleen kerran aika tylsä ratkaisu. Siinä missä ensimmäisten 9 levyn osalta levyt ja kiertueet käsitellään sinkkuja ja kiertuepaitoja myöten läpi, käsittelyn yksityiskohtaisuus heikkenee, mitä lähemmäs nykyaikaa tullaan. Tämä on sääli, sillä ajanjakso 1995-2026 kattaa Iron Maidenin historiasta noin kaksi kolmasosaa ja kerrottavaa varmasti riittäisi moneen kertaan käsiteltyjen juttujen toistamisen sijaan.
February 23, 2026
This book is for hard-core Maiden fans. it's full of great photos and information through the years. I don't think that a casual fan would truly appreciate it. I think this book fell short in a couple of ways. 1: Photo captions often give the same information as the narration. 2: It can lack consistency of content. for example, sometimes they show band gear, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they talk about single art, sometimes they don't.
I wanted a little more from this book than it gave, but I still really enjoyed it and will definitely read it again.
I wanted a little more from this book than it gave, but I still really enjoyed it and will definitely read it again.
December 26, 2025
One for the fans, this volume. It's a big book and contains a lot of high-quality photographs. Some of them you will have seen before if you've been following the band over the past 50 years (I have for nearly forty). There is also a lot of previously unreleased material and plenty of facts (or at least recollections) to digest (including some that were new to me). Very happy that I got a copy for the collection.
January 19, 2026
Outstanding book - absolutely loved it! Loads of great imagery and a comprehensive coverage of all of Maiden’s main periods of success. I love the creativity of this band and it just shines through really well in this book. I can see myself rereading it in the future. I went through is very quick - couldn’t put it down. Up the Irons!
May 10, 2026
La valoración es por el contenido y el material fotográfico. Maravilloso libro para cualquier fan de Iron Maiden. Dicho esto, el libro no puede estar peor traducido y tiene una nula revisión y edición. Incontables erratas y traducciones pésimas, no se ha puesto nada de cariño y dedicación en traducir un libro tan maravilloso.
December 26, 2025
Absolutely delightful retrospective puff piece with an exhausting array of bts pics, merch, instruments, and trivia. Overly celebratory, and skims over the lows? Sure. But as a fan, this is still right up my Acacia Avenue. Up the Irons!
August 20, 2026
That’s a monumental piece of history of Iron Maiden!
It includes lots of exclusive photos and notes directly from Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris personal diaries.
Well readable and a Must Have for every Iron Maiden Fan!
It includes lots of exclusive photos and notes directly from Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris personal diaries.
Well readable and a Must Have for every Iron Maiden Fan!
January 4, 2026
imprescindible si eres seguidor de la banda, un viaje por toda su historia e ideal para leer escuchando sus discos. Up the Irons!!!
February 9, 2026
Obrigatório para pessoa que se diz fã da banda. O livro é uma viagem no tempo. As fotos foram impressas de forma impecável.
March 5, 2026
4,5🎸🥁 Este livro é uma besta!
April 6, 2026
Nie tak świetne jak Run To The Hills, ale wciąż to obowiązkowa pozycja
July 21, 2026
A must for any true Maiden fan. And great to watch Eddie evolve through the years!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews