ABBA: The Book

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Hi Jean-Marie.
For a long time I have been a bit curious about you, since I have read some of your materials, seen Thank you ABBA etc.. I think it's all great, especially I must say your work on "Abba the book" is just brilliant.. You don't leave out anything but really give a good impression of the development of the group, both as group and as single members.. And illustrated with so many nice photos. As I said, great work - a must for all Abba-fans..
One thing I have noticed especially in your works about ABBA is that you try to underline the role of Frida, and HER personality.. I find that good. However I'm curious to know if you like Frida more, or if you simply do it, because so many others underline Agnetha, ya, some even seem to forget that the harmonies that made ABBA so popular were sung by 2 girls.  I am 38, have been a hard-core-die-hard-Abba-fan since I was 11-12... I always thought there would be no ABBA if one of the girls were missing.  Maybe I still was a little bit  more fascinated by Agnetha then, because she had the teenage dreams, that I shared, and from voice I've always been a soprano, love to sing Agnetha's songs, whereas some of Frida's songs really would be bad for my throat.. However, I do love listening to her, her voice is like velvet. And I absolutely think she's a very interesting person that has got far too little attention in the ABBA-days. Agnetha was showing her charm, was a bit "girlish", while Frida was more modest in her ways.. Unfortunately some of the male journalists focused so much on that and forgot to look deeper... Typical.
And now I found your homepage...
Still thanks for your ABBA-work...
Hope you'll continue for a long long time, still...
Kindest regards

Irene
30/04/2002



Dear Jean-Marie,
It ís the greatest pleasure for me to join those who express their admiration for your ABBA-The Book. Itís the best book on ABBA I ever red and it undoubtedly deserves to be called the masterpiece. Being ABBA fan/researcher for 25 years, I red about 85% of books on our beloved group, so I can judge your work with good reason. Youíve brought researches on ABBA history up to previously unachievable level. Thoroughness of your work is deeply impressive, and selection of pictures is really unique. I was particularly glad to see your dedication to Stikkan Anderson, since I appreciate his contribution to ABBA success very much. Thank you!
I correspond with many ABBA fans all over Russia and the other former Soviet Union republics, and Iím glad to spread a word about your brilliant book.
Sincerely yours,

Dmitry (The Head of Russian Unofficial ABBA Fan Club)
06/04/2002

From Amazon.com :

THEY CAME, THEY SANG...AND THEY CONQUERED!, December 18, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Prince Edward Island, Canada
Did you ever come across a favourite song and say, "I wonder whatever happened to....? Abba took the world by storm back in the 60's when a quarter bought you an afternoon matinee at the movies, and minimum wage in my home town was $1.00 per hour. If you earned $1.25 or more, you had it made!
Abba possessed a unique blend of charisma, talent, and originality. Who can forget the sentimental lyrics of "I Have A Dream", the melancholy strains of "Fernando" or the upbeat dance-hit, "Dancing Queen"? The list of hits went on and on.
What I particularly liked about this book was the numerous photographs all depicting Abba at their finest. Many photographs are ones not often, if ever, published before, at least not on this continent. In addition, the book reveals a lot of factual, personal information about the individuals themselves. The road to fame and fortune is not an easy one as readers will discover through the pages of this book. Some facts have been printed before, but other aspects of their career are presented here in a more complete, in-depth light. Fans of Abba, will no longer need to wonder, "what ever happened to..." because the epilogue tells you just that. Of all the books on the group, this is one of the best in print.
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Well done coverage of the early years, October 8, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Kansas City, MO United States
This book covers mainly the early years of ABBA's career. Most of the pictures we have seen before, but never in one place and packaged so nicely. The pictures here are different than the ones you will find in "From ABBA to Mamma Mia", so if you want to have a collection of pictures spanning ABBA's entire career, you really need to own both.
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absolutely excellent, April 3, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from buenos aires Argentina
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK! FROM BEGGINING TO END! WONDERFUL PHOTOS, FUNNY ANECDOTES, INTERESTING NOTES, QUOTATIONS, INTIMATE FEELINGS PARTICULARLY FROM FRIDA, ETC. THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY ABBA FAN IN THE WORLD. I AM SO GLAD I BOUGHT IT, PLEASE DONT TAKE LONG TO BUY ONE, IT IS WORTH THE MONEY, IT IS A TREASURE IF YOU ARE AN ABBA FAN. TWO FINGERS UP !! LOVE TO ALL CLAUDIO
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 Your coffee table needs this book., December 11, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Dublin, Ireland
Jean-Marie Potiez has produced a wonderful book. The fantastic photos (many of which have not previously been published) are worth the price of the book alone. The photos must have been very carefully selected: they are all, unfailingly, flattering and the band never look less than achingly glamorous. The informative and enjoyable commentary, pieced together from a mind-boggling number of interviews, is clearly a labour of love and there are many surprisingly revealing and poignant quotes. Particularly sweet (and, ultimately, sad, given the couple's subsequent history) is Frida's statement that the best thing that ever happened to her was Benny, not ABBA. The history of the ultimate pop group is traced on a year-by-year basis, from the mid 1960s, following the pre-ABBA careers of each member, through the romantic encounters, to the Eurovision win, to the will-we-ever-have-another-hit? tension, to (phew!) world domination. Every step is lavishly illustrated with great photos. ABBA's story reads like a film script - humble beginnings, beautiful people in love, amazing talent, runaway success leading to a heartbreaking denoument. There is even a 'where are they now?' epilogue. This book wipes the floor with Potiez's video documentary of the band ("Thank you ABBA"). While it will certainly be a treasured luxury for ABBA's huge army of fans, this excellent book will also be of interest to anybody with an interest in perfect pop.

From Amazon.de :
Kundenrezensionen
Durchschnittliche Kundenbewertung:
4 von 4 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:

*****Absoluter Wahnsinn, 21. Juni 2001
Rezensentin/Rezensent: Jane Moulding (jymoulding@yahoo.de) aus Eschenburg, Deutschland
Wow, dieses Buch kann ich nur empfehlen. Es ist schön detailliert beschrieben und es sind sehr schöne Fotos dadrin. Es sind sehr viele Fakten dabei, die ich, als eingefleischter Abba-Fan selbst noch nicht wußte. Man kann das Buch mindesten 2 - 3 mal hintereinander lesen, ohne davon gelangweilt zu sein. Ein absolutes Muss für jeden Abba-Fan

*****Von einem grossen Fan fuer Fans, 25. Dezember 2000
Rezensentin/Rezensent: (bernd.schloegl@t-online.de) aus Rastatt,Deutschland
Ich bin seit 1974 Abba-Fan und ich besitze ein grosses ABBA-Fundus, aber ein so interessantes Buch gespickt mit vielen Überraschungen,unveröffentlichen Fotos und persönlichen Statements der 5 ABBAS, hatte ich bisher noch nie in den Händen. Man merkt Jean-Marie Potiez an, dass hier nicht nur ein Journalist gute Arbeit verrichten wollte, sondern ein begeisterter und auch objektiver Fan dieses Buch mit Herz schreiben wollte.Danke.

*****Das beste Buch seit "Fran Waterloo till Mamma Mia", 4. Dezember 2000
Rezensentin/Rezensent: (marcus.bergs@s-dn.de) aus Inden (in der Nähe von Köln)
Das ist fantastisch : Jean-Marie Potiez hat fünf Jahre seines Lebens in die Veröffentlichung dieses Buches investiert, und die waren weiß Gott nicht vergeudet. Er hat von der ersten bis zur letzten seite meist farbige und oft großformatige, bislang unveröffentlichte Bilder aus den ABBA-Archiven ausgegraben, die ihresgleichen suchen. Was ich darüberhinaus sagenhaft finde : von den ersten Solotagen bis heute hat er taggenau dokumentiert, was im Leben der vier Bandmitglieder im Zusammenhang mit ABBA passiert ist. Interviewauszüge und Abdrucke vieler Magazincover/Zeitungsartikel bereichern das Buch zusätzlich. Super Weihnachtsgeschenk für ABBA-Fans !

Hi Jean-Marie

After reading the other comments about your wonderful book what else can I say, except a hearty thank you! I read it from cover to cover and I love the way it spans their entire careers. And those pictures ... fantastic!. The book sits in a prominent place in my family room for all to see that I am a proud ABBA fan. Have been since 1974. I still can't help harbouring a fantasy that they will go into the studio just one more time to produce an album for us long-term fans which would include, of course, a full version of Just Like That. Yes, yes, I know I'm fantasizing. Anyway, it's nice to know that there are plenty of other fans out there. Thanks again Jean-Marie! You did a great job!

Lesley (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
03/02/2001

Un grand bravo pour le livre "ABBA the book" (dommage, toutefois qu'il ne soit pas écrit en français), les photos sont SUPERBES et inédites. J'aime bien le groupe ABBA même s'il est vrai que je suis tout particulièrement fan d'Agnetha FÄLTSKOG. J'adore toutes ses chansons bien que je ne maîtrise pas la langue de Shakespeare, je peux malgré tout apprécier toute l'étendue de son talent. Ses disques en suédois et allemand sont aussi sublimes.

MAURICE (France)
27/01/2001

Hi Jean-Marie!

My name is Anders and I`m a total Abba-freak and has been since 1973 I guess. I just wanna say "Thank You" for the enormous work you have put down on "Abba-the Book". It´s really fantastic. So many superb pictures. You have surely done an amazing job, so once again a BIG thanks, for letting all Abba-maniacs get even more fasinated over the best group ever.

Anders (Sweden)
25/01/2001

I had to let you know that today I finished 'ABBA The Book' and it was fantastic. The best book on ABBA I have ever read. It tied alot of loose ends in, and made sense to alot of things. I had read 'The Name of The Game' and thought it was the biggest load of rubbish. Some of the items in it were so unfactual. But this book is perfect. With a huge amount of photos I had never seen before, it has become my pride and joy. My husband kept telling me during the reading of 'The Name of The Game' that I should write one to put things straight. But you have been in the lucky position to write a far better book that I could have possibly ever imagined doing. Thank you very much for giving me the best non-fiction book I have read in my life. Thanks again!

Helen Middlemas (Birtley, County Durham, England)
13/01/2001

I am Dang Quoc Chi, an avid 27-year-old ABBA fan from Vietnam. I wrote a short report on the live concert by ARRIVAL in Hanoi in Feb, 1999 and I was so surprised to find that a part of that report ended up on your website (the section for ARRIVAL). I guess you had the information from Helga van de Kar, because my report was first printed on the issue 61 of magazine of the ABBA Fanclub in Holland (March, 1999). I am so glad about that. Recently, Vicky from ARRIVAL even wrote me a thanking letter. I am so touched.
Although I have been enjoying your "baby", the video "Thank You ABBA" for 3 years now, it is until now that I can write this thanking letter to you. But better late than never. I often visit your website and one of the sections I enjoy most is "The making of the video "Thank You ABBA". It is so moving to see that throughout the process, you faced problem after problem but in the end, you could pull things off. THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL. Thanks a million for all your gigantic serious efforts for making the video, thus providing us, ABBA fans a fabulous gift. As far as I know, very, very few ABBA videos can be compared to that.
I bought "ABBA - The Book" as soon as it was released and would love to voice some comments: I enormously enjoy reading the book. The ABBA story is written in a unique way. Every detail (even the smallest) are thoroughly taken care of. A lot of facts are completely new and stunning to even the most die-hard fans. A lovely layout. What impresses me most is the magnificent quality of photos. The unfamiliar photos outweigh the familiar. Any avid fan could not resist being obsessed by the book for quite a long
time. Every time I open the book, I discover new things. The book must be among the most prominent ABBA books ever, ever made. Miss this book and real ABBA fans will deeply regret for the rest of their lives. At the end of the book, there is a complete listing of the albums with full colour beautiful illustrations.
However, I wonder why the same thing did not happen to the complete listing of the singles. It should be there to make things complete, don't you think? Perhaps in the future edition? Apart from this, everything of the book is absolutely perfect to me.
Once again, I would love to extend my gigantic thanks to you for all your efforts in materialising significant and precious ABBA projects over the past few years. You set an extremely bright example for worldwide ABBA fan community who will further perceive and conduct more and more ABBA projects to vigorously consolidate the eternal image of ABBA well into the new millennium.
Best regards,

Dang Quoc Chi (Hanoi, Vietnam)
11/01/2001

J'attends ce livre depuis quelques semaines car il était en rupture de stock chez Aurum. Quel magnifique cadeau de Noël. Je suis fan de Abba depuis le jour où je les ai découverts, c'est-à-dire en 1979. Depuis Abba je connais par coeur. Mais je dois bien l'avouer que ce livre est plein de photos inédites. Et le texte qui accompagne ces photos est très intéressant. Je pense que c'est une très bonne idée de découvrir ce que fût leur vie durant leurs années d'activité jour après jour.`
Quel travail, BRAVO. J'aurais bien aimé le faire moi-même... Ils sont tellement beaux. Après sa lecture on ne peut qu'admirer encore plus Abba (quoique je pense être déjà arrivée à un niveau d'admiration dépassant toutes les limites).
Je trouve dommage qu'aucun éditeur ne veulent éditer ce livre en français. Comment faire comprendre à mes voisins que le monde de la musique ne se limite pas à Johny. Bien au contraire.... Abba est le groupe le plus génial que je connaisse. Aucune musique me donne cette joie et envie de vivre. Leurs chansons sont toutes plus belles les unes que les autres et même après des années d'écoute intensive je découvre parfois des notes qui m'étaient inconnues. Je pense surtout à Eagle (cette chanson c'est le sommet). Merci Jean-Marie pour le résultat de ton travail. Chaque fan devrait posséder ce livre. En tous cas je ne regrette pas mon achat.

Monique (de Sion en Suisse et sous 1 mètre de neige).
05/01/2001

I hope that my mentioning 'Abba-The Book' on my web pages has resulted in a few more sales. Here's a selection of some of the response I received :

Hi, Ronny! This is Marina. Thank you so much for sending me an e-mail about ABBA-The Book! I just got this book. Oh, my God, you're right--this is an AMAZING publication! Probably, one of the best books about The Swedish Fab Four! Your site is wonderful! Thanks, again! Bye.

Hi Ronny, I just bought the book today and wow, it is something else. Someone has finally done it all. Even before I got your email I wanted to get it after seeing the calibre of some of the pictures in it at the bookshop. What a credit to Potiez. This book makes the others look like cheap imitations. By the way, did you know that Anni-Frid has a cousin in Norway who you can email? He's written back to me quite a few times, about things to do with Norway, where my mother's family came from originally - about 100 years ago now but you wouldn't believe the resemblance between my mother and Frida (there were only 750,000 people in Norway at that time so I guess its no big surprise if we are related). Did you know that Anni-Frid doesn't like being called Frida unless she's on stage? That's what he told me - "Do you know that Frida doesn't like that people called her Frida! She always says, if I walked long the street and when I in my house I'm Anni-Frid. When I stand on stage I'm Frida!!" Thanks again for the recommendation, Martin Dudaniec

Hi Ronny, Thanks for the mail. I bought the book back in September when it came out and was quite impressed with it, in particular the choice of pictures. However, it seems that it contains a number of factual mistakes, according to the 'Abba Guru' Ian Cole. Anyway, the things I did not like much was the fact that the format seemed exactly the same as that of the Complete Recording Sessions and the clear lack of an after Abba chapter. Those last pages are just ridiculous. Nevertheless, I agree it's a must have item for any fan. Regards, Sue

Thanks Ronny!!! I've already got "ABBA the book" and I must admit that it is a wonderful piece of work, everything, from the cover to the most trivial coment. As Jean- Marie Potiez said himself in an interview, it's the book every ABBA fan could've ever wanted, it's a dream come true. One more thing, I voted "Divas the site" in the starpages. I love it!!! Keep in touch! Greetings from Osiris

Ronny (Belgium)
04/01/2001

Its not easy to talk about this book, because it is an absolute masterpiece. The photos on their own would make a brilliant collection, but you also get to read the most complete chronology and collection of personal quotes imaginable. To me the book is not a book, but a journey to a magical time, which is what every great book is. This book is now the definitive pictoral and literal archive of the whole ABBA story, so if you don't own it and you are a fan, you are definitely missing out on something. I would even equate it with any one of ABBA's actual songs, in its beauty, splendour and superb craftmanship.

Martin (Australia)
28/12/2000

Being an ABBA Addict (and a fan for over 20 yrs ) i purchased your book and was throughly satisfied. In the U.S. ABBA did receive the amount of media coverage as they did in other countries. I always had to rely on my ABBA magazine to find out updates about the group(this was before the internet obviously) I loved the font that was used in the book..it gave the book the feel that it was published in the 1970's...
Thank you again so much for the book...

Gregg Barnette (Cincinnati,Oh - USA)
25/12/2000

Yes, I'll have to agree with what everyone says. "ABBA The Book" is amazing! Wonderful photos and chunks of information. It is truly my favorite ABBA book. Never knew I could read a book so quick! I usually hate reading but I was so into it. This is a definite ABBA treasure! Great job here Mr. Potiez. I'll keep this book forever!

Kristooney
08/12/2000

Congratulations on your excellent book Jean-Marie. I consider it to be the definitive book on Abba since the group started. So many previously unseen pictures, so many facts I just never knew, and so many areas where you have clarified the 'hazy' facts. You have evidently worked untold hours in order to provide all of this, and you have given so much information where others could not - for that, every Abba fan should be eternally grateful.
You are absolutely correct - Stig would have been very proud of your work. It is a lasting momento of a fabulous group.
Thank you so very much.

Gary Collins
26/11/2000

Yes, I enjoy reading your book. Being an ABBA fan since 1976, it's great to see a book that is put together with so much love and care. It is really obvious and evident you put quite a lot of effort and time into it. It contains quite a lot of details I never heard of before. And the pictures are mind blowing! Thanks for all of this.

Congratulations on your great book.

Jos Heselmans (Belgium)
26/11/2000

I too was watching TV in 1974 and saw the blue touchpaper being lit that propelled Abba to the number one position on the list of "Best Group ever". Just finished reading ABBA THE BOOK. For me its the best ABBA book ever written, the pics are fantastic, A lot of hard work has gone into this book, its easy to tell, It could even be a labour of love. If your a fan of ABBA this book ia a absolute must have. Just one point you cannot order it direct from the publisher I tried! Thanks & well done .

Geoff (England)
25/11/00

Félicitations et un grand merci pour le superbe livre que tu viens d'écrire. Je l'ai lu du début jusqu'à la fin comme le roman d'une vie (la leur mais aussi un peu la mienne). Moi qui croyais tout savoir sur leur carrière quelle erreur ! Ton souci du détail rend ce livre particulièrement passionnant pour les fans de longue date mais intéressera aussi tous ceux qui veulent découvrir le groupe, et il n'y en a pas de moins en moins !!
Tu peux être très fier de ton ouvrage. BRAVO.

Jean-Michel Poncelet (Londres)
08/11/2000

My Name is Wolfgang Lenz, I'm from Austria, 36 Years old, and since 1973 I'm a very great ABBA-Fan, actually an ABBAnatic, yeah ! Well, even tough I dont have your Book yet, I find the Extracts on your Website really outstanding ! But I can assure You that I'm going to buy the Book very soon. By the Way, your Video "Thank You ABBA" is also a great Masterpiece.

Wolfgang Lenz (Austria)
04/11/2000

I just wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic book !!
I am in South Africa, and many enquiries led me nowhere when I started asking about the distribution of the book out here - thank God for the internet and on-line shopping ...:)
I received my copy last week via Amazon.co.uk along with "From ABBA to Mamma Mia".
Your book is truly a work of art, obviously created out of love and with admiration for the group. The previously unpublished photos are really a feast for the eyes.
Once again - thank you for the book.
Thank You !!

Patrick Buys (South Africa)
29/10/2000

Your book was finally released in Australia today. I received my copy direct from the publisher. Although I have not read the text I have looked through the book a few times. I want to thank you as an ABBA fan so much. I have followed ABBA myself since I was 7 years old (now 32) and I thought I had seen everything. There are only a few photos in your book that I have seen before....so after all these years it is like getting something new, not a copy of everything I have seen before.
I will email you again once I have read the book totally.

Thank You For "THE BOOK".

PAUL REIDY (Australia)
29/10/2000

Aprés les félicitations verbales, voici un petit message écrit pour te dire à nouveau mon admiration pour ce livre ! C'est un beau cadeau que tu nous as fait. Tout ce que je peux te dire , c'est que beaucoup de gens (qui ne pratiquent pas l'anglais) attendent avec impatience la version française. Alors comme on en a parlé l'autre soir au Centre Culturel Suedois, il faut lancer une pétition sur internet, pour faire pression sur les éditeurs français.

Alors, vous tous qui lisez (en français) ce message, envoyez vos encouragements à Jean-Marie pour que le livre soit édité en FRANCAIS!
Bonne chance ! et encore merci !

Eric W (France)
28/10/2000

Je suis chez un copain et j'en profite pour visiter votre site. J'ai déjà en ma possession "Abba - The Book". Il est tout à fait extraordinaire.
Encore toutes mes félicitations pour "The Book". A très bientôt !

Jean-Claude MISSE (Winamplanche in Belgium)
25/10/2000

I am the German correspondent of the ABBF. And I am about to do the same as you have done - my book (the complete discography) will be published by Premium Publishing, Stockholm, in spring next year. Anyhow, the reason why I write to you is to tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your book - congratulations! It was interesting to find out some bits and bobs which I did not know before. You have done a great job and I hope that your book will be a big seller.
Take care and salut

Sabine (Germany)
25/10/2000

You don't have to sell me on your work. Anything that has your name or Carl M. Palm's name attached to it is a guarantee that it is a work of quality. A piece of work that I will be more than satisfied with. I just ordered both Abba books; I hope you both do really good in sales. Lots of success!!!
Love always,

Robert Diaz (Florida, USA)
24/10/2000

Je suis Breton, vivant depuis quelques années à Francfort, et depuis .... 78 admirateur puis fan de ABBA... (plus de 2 /3 de ma vie...). Il y a a peine deux heures je découvrai ABBA-The Book au Stand Aurum Press au salon du Livre de Francfort, et en pianotant pour trouver ou le commander, je tombe sur votre site. La découverte de votre site me fait re-vivre. Internet retrouve de l'interet. De même la découverte de votre livre, à quelques metres du Stand Virgin oú de ABBA A MAMMA MIA était présenté montre bien ces deux mondes. De la version officielle (mais malhonnête.... on apprend par exemple dans ABBA A MAMMA MIA que la derniere tournée mondiale du groupe eut lieu en Australies en 77 !!!??? et qq autres trucs dans ce genres qui sautent aux yeux après quelques minutes de lectures...) de la version officielle à votre livre, il me semble bien y avoir deux mondes..... ceux qui font ABBA (et en 2000 on appellera ces gens là des réchauffeurs) et vous.... que j'ai à coeur d'appeler un Militant (au sens le plus noble du terme). Je me sens tout de suite moins seul au monde!

Félicitations donc pour tout ce que j'ai pu découvir de votre site jusqu'à présent. Merci pour la Page Gay! Coté que nous, ABBA-Officials, contunuons à ne surtout pas vouloir voir.... A Francfort, nous pensons serieusement à un groupe ... histoire de comprendre le pourquoi du comment de cet ABBAMANIA chez les Gays.

Que feriez vous donc si vous aviez accès à toute cette richesse des dossiers dont ces Messieurs Tobler et autres Magnus Palm font si mauvais usage, ils ne semblent même pas relire ce qu'ils écrivent et nous prennent pour des.... (ne sachant pas votre âge je me passerai, par respect, d'utiliser le vocabulaire qui ne semble heureusement pas s'appliquer à vous).

Avez vous d'autres publications sur ABBA?

En attendant de vous serrer chaleureusement la main... à l'occasion de la publication de votre livre en Allemand (vous avez un marché ici, les Allemands ADORENT ABBA.... seraient ils tous gays??? : )

Amitiés et encouragements à votre équipe.

Christian
22/10/2000

Din bok av ABBA ar sa fantastisk, Jean-Marie! Mina kamrater och vanner alskar den! Kanske vill de koper den for Jul! Jag tittar nastan varje dag men den ar inte ut har i Vancouver. Jag maste fraga till min van i Toronto. I'm very happy that Gorel liked the book. I'm sure Bjorn & Benny must have read it by now! Let me know when you get feedback from them. Good luck with all the promotion!
Your book is still the best book ever!

Graeme (Vancouver, Canada)
20/10/2000

Yesterday I received "ABBA-The Book" . It arrived before I saw it in any stores, and I was able to go through it in private - just as well because I kept squealing like a pig every time I turned the page!!! The photos are stunning. It's unroool. At last I know that the "Musikladen" special was made before the Australian one - something I've never been able to determine for sure. This means that "DQ' from "Musikladen" was the FIRST performance ever of that song - and in my opinion also the best ever. JMP has given a great list of ABBA's early TV performances - they went to France a lot!!!

Philip Muytjens (Australia)
20/10/2000

Definitely worth the wait to get it over here - and thanks again Graeme so much for negotiating the special price through ABBAMAIL. I am in awe of all the previously unseen pics - some variations on famous single and lp covers and I can't put it down.

10 out of 10 J-MP !!

Jeff Chandler (Australia)
19/10/2000

I received my copy of your ABBA book last Monday and, like all other ABBA fans, I would like to say a BIG, BIG THANK YOU . The pictures, especially the ones of my favourite FRIDA are breath-taking and I have not seen most of the other pictures in the book, either. You can be extremely proud for the work of this book as it is, to me, the best one of ABBA ever done, so far. Thank you so much for making ABBA fans all over the world so happy with this book. I am sure that not only we, the fans, are pleased with it, but also Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida will be glad to look back on the fantastic years in the music business.

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC, ABBA and THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL BOOK, JEAN-MARIE!!!!!!

Michael Scheiber (Austria)
17/10/2000

THANK YOU FOR ABBA!
cela veut dire:
- merci pour eux, d'avoir restaure une image fidele du groupe
- merci pour moi, d'avoir restaure dans mon coeur et dans ma memoire leur image
En effet, ton choix de photos est exellent, il sort des sentiers battus. Meme lorsque les photos sont issues de sessions connues, la pause choisie les montre plus fidelement que jamais. Ils sont beaux et sympatiques! Pour la premiere fois, les photos issues de la tournee 79, ne presentent pas Agnetha et Frida comme de grosses vaches avec du bide. Merci d'avoir eu le tact de les presenter sous leur meilleur jour et d'avoir mis le voyeurisme de coté.
Ce livre est "classieux", il aurrait bien merite de revetir le logo ABBA sur la couverture. Je te souhaite de rencontrer le succes que tu merites.

Philippe DUPONT (France)
16/10/2000

Since the moment I heard that you were going to write a book about ABBA,I've been anticipating the moment of it's release. I got it a couple of days ago and it has been by my side since. The pictures are superb (Finally a book that offers us something new and never seen before). The text contains so much information,much of it new to me (something that so far only "The complete recording sessions" managed to give). All in all, a fantastic piece of work. You've made me very happy. Tusen Tack !!!!!

Jürgen Parys (Germany)
06/10/2000

I would like to thank you for the outstanding "ABBA The Book" you have presented recentely. What an ABBA milestone! It certainly deserved to wear the ABBA-logo. But even without it its the official book to me! I am Wouter (34) from Amsterdam, Holland and I am a serious ABBA fan for 25 years. In that period I've build up a very impressive collection of them and they became a major inspiration to me as a composer and a major inspiration to me for leading a mature and happy life as well.
Thanx again for the outstanding ABBA-document you've created.

Wouter Timmers (The Netherlands)
06/10/2000

It was with great anticipation that my copy of "The Book" arrived. It promised to include plenty of rare and unpublished photos, and the book more than delivers. As a long term fan of 25 years who has been exposed to a great deal of ABBA material, the book contained many wonderful surprises. The early photos are a particular delight. Obviously meticulously researched and brilliantly presented, "The book" is essential for every ABBA fan. Thank you Jean- Marie for your persistance and efforts in bringing us this wonderful treasure.

David Fyfe (Australia)
05/10/2000

I just want to give you my compliments regarding the book. It's the best book I have ever seen ! I haven't read it yet because I'm too busy to catch up my work but it sure is the best looking book ! Anita already told me that it's great to read as well; gives you some unknown information. I hope I will have time to read it soon ......

Helga - ABBF RECORD SERVICE (The Netherlands)
04/10/2000

I just recently bought your new book, ABBA-The Book, and wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying it! It's simply wonderful, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your hard work in bringing this book to all of us ABBA fans!

The pictures are wonderful, but upon reading it, I realized just how much info is packed into the text. There are several things I hadn't heard before or had a misconception about, and I thank you for clearing me up on those. Of course, the pictures are the greatest treasures, many of which I had never seen anywhere before.
So, once again, thank you so much for making this book possible. It's something I'll treasure forever!

Lori Coleman (Virginia USA)
02/10/2000

I think I don´t have to tell you that your book is fantastic, because I´m sure you get quite a lot of such mail each day! But well, I got the book on Monday a week ago and as I fell ill some days later I got the chance to read it and so I´ve nearly finished it now! And wow, what a great book! And so many great pics in it!
This book has the same quality as ABBAs music, and I hope you know what compliment that is!

Kindest Regards from Linz, Austria
Harry Ehler
01/10/2000

I feel as if this is all a wonderful dream. I have only had your book in my possession for 24 hours but I feel as excited about this group as I did 24 years ago when I first saw them singing "Fernando". I cannot do your book justice with my words. Fans will have to see it for themselves to believe it. It is definitely the most glorious tribute to ABBA I have ever seen.

There are many pictures many of us long term fans have never seen before, and for a change you seem to have redressed the balance with equal photographic coverage of all four members, reminding us how talented all four of them were. When I saw the colour photograph of Frida lying on the grass outside Drottningholm (at least I think that's where it is) I was moved beyond words. To paraphrase the lovely lady herself, I would like to say that "ABBA: The Book" is my favourite book, period. When I first saw it, I thought it was so enormously beautiful, I started to cry. Who would have thought it was possible that a life long fan of this group could fall in love with them all over again? Well that is how I feel, and I wanted you to know how much joy you have brought me by producing such a magical book.
Thank you,

Graeme Dempsey (Vancouver, Canada)
30/09/2000

Ton livre qui vient de sortir est magnifique. De toute évidence, le meilleur livre jamais sorti sur ABBA, avec enfin un véritable travail de recherche au niveau des documents photographiques et des détails biographiques. J'adore la grande photo d'Agnetha avec son pull blanc, celle de Frida est fabuleuse aussi.
Ce livre mérite de figurer dans la collection de tout fan (et pourquoi pas les autres) qui se respecte.

Bernard DEMAN (Belgium)
27/09/2000

Quelle joie hier quand j'ai reçu le paquet de Aurum, j'étais vraiment excité en l'ouvrant et le résultat est FA-BU-LEUX, je n'ai encore rien lu, mais je ne peux m'empêcher de regarder les photos, c'est la première fois que je les voyais, surtout les anciennes, je ne peux dire qu'une chose, BRAVO, tu nous gâtes vraiment avec toutes ces photos inédites, là je pense que pour la première fois, les fans possèdent LE LIVRE sur ABBA qu'ils ont toujours attendu, je me réjouis de lire ton livre. J'ai été aussi super content et flatté de voir mon nom dans les credits. Quel excellent travail, ce livre sera un best seller, c'est certain.

David LEGRAND (Belgium)
23/09/2000

Finally I´v got the book and it´s so wonderful and fantastic. All these lovely pictures Be proud!!
I saw also on the backside how you looked like, it´s always nice to have a face to someone youve had contact with.
Best wishes

Susan (POP IMPORT - Sweden)
20/09/2000

Quel dommage! J'aimerais bien qu'un editeur francais s'interesse aussi. Mais merci beaucoup pour ton message. J'espere que ton livre deviendra "bestseller" autour de le monde. Au revoir!
Bon chance,
Victor

Victor Kim
19/09/2000

I'm sure you have had lots of messages since the release of 'The Book', but I had to write not only to congratulate you on a superb book but also to say a very big 'thank you'. I have been an ABBA fan since 1976. I can honestly say that your book is the first new item that I have obtain for many years that has really blown me away! It has been great to see so many photo's that I have never seen before, I just can't believe it. I have only just started reading it (the first couple of days has been scrutinising each photo!). I thought I knew pretty much most things about the group, but you have brought lots of fascinating information to me.
It says on the back of the book 'the definitive book that every fan will treasure' and that is certainly very true.
So thanks again.
All my best wishes,

Richard Reeve
17/09/200

I just wanted to back-up what Sara said about your new book and pass on my own compliments. It really is a fabulous book, and certainly holds up well against the "other" book released this month (not taking anything away from it though). The book is crammed with astonishing pictures that I'd never seen before. Haven't read a word of it yet (too busy I'm afraid). But I'm sure it's great. You should be very proud. It is excellent and no fan should be without it.
Pat on the back for you!
Best wishes

Chris Childs (ABBA REPORT -UK)
10/09/2000

Just wanted to say congratulations on your book which I received today. It looks fantastic, I can't wait to read it. More than congratulations, I wanted to say THANK YOU for the work you must have put in in tracking down those pictures, most of which I'd never seen before. They are brilliant.
Thank you Thank You Thank YOU!!!

Sara Barnes (ABBA REPORT -UK)
08/09/2000