The Encyclopedia of Jerry
Two Volume, gold embossed, 220 gold gilded pages.
Hey Now!
I'm the author of The Encyclopedia of Jerry Garcia Music Venues published in December 2025. I printed 350 copies and there’s just 160 copies remaining. Get yours now before they’re gone. This Encyclopedia is only available in hardcover and will not be reprinted in any form.
Inside you will find my 16 years of research into Jerry's musical history and every venue he utilized for every aspect of his career. My book is set apart by also showcasing the venues with a photo and history of each.
Arranged alphabetically by state, this two volume, 9x12, 2200 page set of books combines all of Jerry's side bands and the Grateful Dead's dates by venue.
This unique book will place you at any Garcia venue on a specific date, while you review the setlist and absorb the narration by eyewitnesses of their own show experiences.
The 1300 venues include rehearsal, recording, performance, living spaces, where he bought guitars and taught his students, scuba excursions and other odd little places featuring 1100 venue photos.
Jerry’s the main focus but take a closer look at each of the historic theatres, auditoriums, arenas, amphitheaters and clubs. The history of each venue is also here including architects, builders, owners, opening night performances and other notable appearances, murals, statues, stage prosceniums, backstage areas, pipe organs, secret rooms, hidden tunnels, restorations and demolitions.
This Limited Edition of 300 is signed and numbered by the author. I’ll even add an inscription of your choosing.
You need this book to refer back to for the next 300 years!
Venues are an intricate part of the musical history of Jerry Garcia. There’s a strong connection to where Jerry played in addition to the dates he performed. Think back to your music collection on cassette. Each cassette had a date and a venue name. These two things, the date and venue, have left indelible marks on the memory of any vintage Deadhead that has collected the band’s recordings throughout the decades.
The histories of each venue reveal the gradual change in America from silent film to talkies, vaudeville to musicals, civil rights injustices, “no dancing allowed” policies, historical pipe organs, restorations, demolitions and all styles of 1920s to 1950s music that transformed into rock n’ roll.
The eye-catching book cover art was supplied by Zeb Love, the talented poster artist.
For many dates I’ve determined which guitar Jerry was playing by studying dated photographs for verification and noting photographer citations in endnotes.
A photo of every venue was a challenging aspect of this project, accounting for untold hours searching the internet, visiting libraries, colleges, historical societies, working with local historians, and transmitting over 12,000 emails. Some photos took years to actually reach me after numerous communications with a photographer or owner of a photo. I also traveled to many venues to take photos.
Eyewitness comments and memories of specific Garcia dates color the scene and the love for our one of a kind musician.
Discover the rehearsal halls, recording studios, performance venues of all kinds, where he bought guitars, where he taught his students, a few scuba excursions, living spaces and other odd little places not yet discovered until you open this book. In the interests of completeness, canceled performances and venues, tentative or scheduled but never materialized venues, and unknown locations have all been included.
The moment when the lights went out, the crowd stands up, and that little shock of white/gray hair would appear out of the darkness on the right side of the stage was magic. This was what it was all about – a distinct memory, each appearance a powerful psychedelic in and of itself. Someday the last person who saw/heard Jerry Garcia perform live and really “got it” will pass away and that deep tribal knowledge of the “in” moment of being in that venue will be forever gone, but the essence will live on in the pages of this book.
There’s a website where you check out the book introduction, sample pages and photos and my bio but I can’t give you that site link here on Ebay. Below you’ll find Testimonials from very pleased Encyclopedia owners.
“I got mine. Beautiful binding job. I will slowly enjoy this for years.”
-David Curtis
“I received their books and they are beautiful. I had my sister come over who fell in love with them and in the Christmas cheer ended up giving mine to her because she was just so taken by them. I was wondering if there are any more available that I could purchase from you to complete the collection. Thank you so much and great work on the books. Seeing it in person is truly the only way to do the work justice. You did an incredible job is this one. I can’t overstate how beautiful they are. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
-Mark Stanwyck
“We just received your two volume magnificent set… so cooler that we could even imagine. Really, really handsome work in every way. Looking through the color plates now. Clearly made with love.”
From your fans
Love Walt and Dia
"Harry, you've created a masterwork! The Encyclopedia is beyond any other GD related tome! Well done!"
-Barry Barnes
“Just received the Encyclopedias. Oh my LORD!
These are easily the most amazing Grateful Dead Archives I have ever seen, or laid my hands upon.
Unbelievable!!!
I am ecstatic that I didn’t wait any longer, and made the purchase when I did.
If I had missed out on these, I would have never forgiven myself.
The amount of information here…is astounding.
This is a very Limited Edition. It may never be reprinted.
With no Dead and Company scheduled on the horizon this book will ease your soul.” -Jack Straw
“Holy Cow! These books are awesome! The binding and cover are world class……
Unbelievable amount of information!!
Thank you for sharing your life work with us……I will cherish this forever. Very very cool. Bravo Harry!”
-Chris Keeler
“One of them is mine perfect timing for Xmas read thank again Harry - worth every penny and worth the wait we had !!”
-Rob Funk
“Got mine yesterday…they are beautiful! And so very heavy! lol”
-Kelly Badeau
“Excellent book, lots of facts, interesting read, worth the wait.”
-Henry Gross
“I stayed up well past midnight flipping randomly through Volume 1. A treasure trove of info, to say the least. These are a cornerstone to any non-musical collection a Jerry freak could ever own - thanks so much! Your decades of love driven labor have been completely rewarded.”
-John Ammons
“Thanks for the awesome books. Jacque and I love that kinda stuff. Will post on my socials.”
-Charlie Miller
“Glad to report my book(s) arrived today.
I'm not sure whether to read them or use them for weight training!!!!
What a fantastic Christmas present.
Luckily my partner is away for some of the holidays so whilst she is not around I will be getting stuck into these books and savoring every page!”
-Simon Smith
“Thanks for doing what you do. You've enriched my life with these reference books.”
-Isaac Stonberg
“Received the tangible evidence of your years of dedicated work yesterday, I can only send you a huge thanks.
I was lucky see Pigpen with the Dead, to see Old and In the Way, and hundreds of Jerry performances with the Dead and all the many offshoots. This will provide me many, many hours of sheer enjoyment.
The Dead and Garcia have been a source of inspiration and almost endless fascination. I've read the lion's share of the books written and listened to thousands of hours of this endless well of great music and you've added an incredible addition to the scholarship of Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead canon.
I'm proud to have been a supporter of your labor of love. All the hoops you've had to jump through, all the research, all the delays have required great patience and diligence on your part. The result is a magnificent piece of art worth of the subject!”
-Bill Kramer
“What an awesome project. Harry's skill and determination is to be complimented for completing an overwhelming task. What a beautiful book!!!”
-Joe from Idaho
“Harry...just received your books, they look phenomenal!”
-Jeffrey Montel
“Wow, I can't thank you enough for these books, these are beyond anything I imagined. I'm only on the Avalon any savoring every page!
Fantastic job!”
-Glenn Gardner
“Just got my two volumes! Thanks so much for all your efforts! Sitting down now to start perusing Volume One.
-Robert Smyth
“Just received the Encyclopedias. Oh my LORD!
These are easily the most amazing Grateful Dead Archives I have ever seen, or laid my hands upon.
Unbelievable!!!
I am ecstatic that I didn’t wait any longer, and made the purchase when I did.
If I had missed out on these, I would have never forgiven myself.
The amount of information here…is astounding.
Thank you so very much for all the time and effort you put into this wonderful gift.
I will treasure these for rest of my days and pass them along when I’m gone.
There is literally a lifetimes worth of information here.
Please use this email to get the word out to all those still on the fence.”
“YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!!”
-Michael Travisano
“I absolutely love the idea of this passion project. When I heard about it a few months back, I started frothing at the mouth. “
-Stuart Ake
“The book is amazing! I expect it will be of great use in my work over time.”
-David Gans
“It got a lot of interest at the auction; the winning bid was $850.
I wish you the best of luck with your future sales. It is a terrific
addition to the knowledge base of all things Jerry Garcia.”
-Cameron Sears, Rex Foundation
“I received the book and it's impressive! Nice print job, stuffed with information and photos, and can even be used for weightlifting! A great accomplishment.”
-Caleb Kennedy
“Overwhelmed by it! It’s astonishing. It’s going to take my remaining lifespan to really take it all in. I’ve been meaning to post about it but still struggling for words.It needs a dedicated place in my house and its own bookshelf!”
-Tom Wright
“This set of Encyclopedias is absolutely stunning!”
-Gratefully Medicated
“Holy shit! This book (two volumes) is AMAZING!! Over 2,000 pages of historical fact, setlists, stories, first hand accounts, quips, etc. from those who were there. Beautifully bound with gilded page edges. Chocked full of photographs on a heavier stock page throughout. A very heavy set of awesome books every bit of encyclopedic. This is probably my most prized Grateful Dead affiliated anything. I can't wait for Volume III. NFA”
-James Bennett
“I absolutely LOVE the JGMV encyclopedia. I will be taking it down to Albuquerque for the SW Pop Culture Conference — home of GD area studies at the end of the month. Though I’ll not be presenting this year I’m psyched to be going and will be showcasing your volumes informally to scholars/friends I’ve known and met thought the conference in previous years. I hope there are some left! I expect you’ll see a spike in sales if they are not already sold out.”
-Mary Goodenough
“Just received the books. I am gobsmacked. What an amazing labor of love. I feel so fortunate to be able to add these two volumes to my library.”
-Barry Herman
“I got a chance to look through one of the books. They are beautiful, huge, detailed and packed with photos! It was neat seeing photos of the venues where the Grateful Dead had played at and the amount of information. I see why it took so long to write and put together. Pretty amazing!!!”
-Cyndee Brown
A collector's dream! The Encyclopedia of Jerry Garcia Music Venues is more than a book—it's a treasure chest of Jerry Garcia’s life’s work.
With its gold embossed cover and gilded pages, this limited edition is a must-have for every serious fan. Two 9x12 Volumes, 2200 pages and 1100 photos, a single print run of just 350 copies, there’s 160 copies left. In the 300 years to come you’ll wish you had this book to refer back to.
Check out the book introduction, sample pages and photos, testimonials from happy book owners, my bio and order the book exclusively at jerrygarciamusicvenues.com.
Please pass this on to your friends and family.
This short reel explains what's inside the book!
Thank you!
Harry
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