Three of music's top journalists are on board to study a trio of universally renowned (and interestingly varied) artists: Jim DeRogatis (Chicago Sun-Times) with THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side; Jon Bream (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) with NEIL DIAMOND IS FOREVER: The Illustrated Story of the Man and His Music; and London-based Phil Sutcliffe (Mojo, Q) with QUEEN: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. All three books will arrive in succession (one month apart from each other), starting Sept 15, 2009.

All three volumes are beautifully packaged, and jam-packed with photos, artifacts, and comprehensive histories of each artist. Undoubtedly, these "Illustrated History" books capture the heart and soul of the Velvet Underground, Neil Diamond, and Queen. With the holiday season fast approaching, these gorgeous and highly informative tomes will serve as the perfect gift for the long-time fan, and soon, you'll get the opportunity to see these titles for yourself.

"As big rock 'n' roll fans and musicians ourselves," says Michael Dregni, publisher of Voyageur Press, "we're thrilled to be publishing these illustrated histories of some of our favorite bands — and just in time for the holidays, so hopefully we'll pass on the excitement to other music fans."

In each of their respective genres, all three artists continue to be giants. The Velvet Underground almost single-handedly created what is now commonly referred to as "punk rock" and "alternative rock" ? thanks in large part to Lou Reed's poetic-yet-streetwise lyrics, and music that alternated between white noise and gentle beauty. Neil Diamond, on the other hand, remains one of pop's top vocalists ? having scored dozens of hits over five decades by this point. You just have to look at the wide variety of artists that have covered his songs (The Monkees, Deep Purple, UB40, Urge Overkill, Johnny Cash, etc.) to see Diamond's long-lasting and far-reaching influence. And Queen is quite simply one of rock's all-time great acts ? name a style related to popular music, and the group perfected it, with countless worldwide massive hits. Led by the late, great over-the-top frontman Freddie Mercury, Queen trail-blazed what is now widely considered "arena rock."