An as-new copy of the Genesis Publications limited edition book The Traveling Wiburys. Number 1552 of 3000 produced, it is hand signed by Jeff Lynne aka Otis Wilbury.

This mint condition example was purchased on release by a collector and kept in its original shipping box, apparently unread.  We have opened the box only to photograph it. An extraordinary example of a book documenting the ultimate supergroup, which featured George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne.

From the Genesis Publications website: The Traveling Wilburys presents over 150 photographs, most of which have never been seen before.

Out-takes from official shoots by Neal Preston, Alberto Tolot and Caroline Greyshock accompany intimate photographs of the Wilburys writing, rehearsing and recording, including an unprecedented collection of Polaroid snapshots by the Wilburys themselves. The result is a candid look at how five of the greatest ever singers, songwriters and musicians ever to have strummed acoustic guitars joined together in a series of kitchens and living rooms to write two albums of unforgettable songs.

‘I think people get stuck in a concept about what the record business is. With the Wilburys it was very flippant. It was a great excuse to put a finger up to the rules and I think that playfulness comes across…’ – George Harrison

The Traveling Wilburys limited edition book also features a wealth of hand-written lyrics, notes and sketches that present a unique picture of the group at work.

‘There wasn’t a lot of deciding what to do, not a lot of time spent planning out anything. We just wrote the best songs we could write and sang ’em as best we could.’ – Roy Orbison

Unseen often unfinished handwritten lyrics run throughout the book as well as song arrangements, notes, sketches and recording logs, many of which are tipped-in or hand pasted onto and between pages as individual facsimile reproductions.

From ‘Handle With Care’, writing and recording an album in nine days with the aid of a fridge, and getting band-name advice from Johnny Carson and the Pope, to the untimely passing of Roy Orbison and the ‘Nobody’s Child’ charity record for Romanian orphans, The Traveling Wilburys is a story of friendship and laughter, shot through with the Python-esque humour that they all enjoyed.

‘It’s supposed to be a bunch of chaps having a bit of fun, you know? It’s not supposed to be thought out to the last detail. It’s basically a group in its raw form. There a couple of overdubs of course, a few. But basically we kept it very, very simple, because that’s how we heard it.’ – Jeff Lynne

Somebody was making these guitar picks and they said, ‘What should we put on them?’ Everybody has some smart little thing written on the pick. So, as we’d just been talking about these ‘trembling wilburys’, I had it misspelled as ‘travelling wilburys’ on this guitar pick. But at that point it was just a drunken thought at the back of my head.’ – George Harrison

‘It’s a lot easier to make an album when there are three people besides yourself to bounce things off, rather than sitting on your own trying to think of ideas.’ – Tom Petty

The Traveling Wilburys is the limited edition chronicle of the bands adventures published in a numbered edition of only 3000 copies worldwide – each hand-signed by band member and co-producer Jeff Lynne aka Otis aka Clayton Wilbury.

All copies in the edition are craftsman-bound in an Italian linen matched to the jacket Nelson Wilbury (aka George Harrison) wore in the video for ‘Handle With Care’. Each book is accompanied with a facsimile print of this song’s lyrics, handwritten by George, exclusive to the limited edition. The book and art print are presented together in a luxurious cloth-bound slipcase.

‘An absolutely stunning volume, with such lush full-page photos. Each detail of the book is so carefully thought out, and captures the spontaneity of this band of 5 brilliant songwriters. I especially appreciate the abundance of handwritten lyrics, notes, and puns affixed throughout – that’s been an unexpected delight. How wonderful (and remarkable) that these papers were saved so they could be included in the book! The linen book cover, the slipcase, and the snapshots are simply perfect, as is the “Handle With Care” tape on the outside of the package. Wonderful!’ – K. Hannahs, Subscriber, USA