If you're searching for a coffee table tome for your Xmas list, search no more - although with this purchase you may need a bigger coffee table. A timely journey through Zep's back pages, bringing together articles from the good and the great, some of whom were close to the action, others for whom the band simply affected their formative years.

The one missing ingredient from this survey is a new interview with any of the surviving band members. This does seem a glaring omission, such an interview(s) would have also given some sort of official endorsement. There is also a greater emphasis on the US dimension in the contributions.

The authors have done a job of melange, piecing together Zep's story through road managers, gigs, gear, and a study for each of their studio albums.

Spiced with handbills, ticket stubs and posters, this book will delight the fans but also provides a historical account of the band's progress from a gig at the Marquee club in 1968 to 02 Arena in 2007. The visual feast complements a book like Dave Lewis' 'Complete Guide' and is a fitting souvenir - the more timely given their announcement of a tour in 2009. One for the Zep fan Xmas list.

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Review by David Randall