The first thing that any Johnny Depp fanatic finds themselves in possession of is of course a wonderful photo; the second thing should be a wonderful biography about his most unique life. The new updated version of this biography has its high and low points of course. The photos are wonderful and include mostly the most well-known and famous of Johnny’s shots. The information and quotes are also almost all well known facts and interview answers that Johnny has given over the years. Reading through the book from beginning to end, I found that it was more a pasted together scrapbook of famous information about Johnny than a commercial book following through his life. Although this publication may not be a must “read” for Depp addicts and Johnny experts, it would be a wonderful first biography for a new fan or just a curious everyday Joe. It is obvious that this publication was not contributed by Johnny or even approved by him or his camp. This is seen in the elongated mentions of Phoenix and Winona and others who he would much rather just be a sentence mention in the history of his life. That being said, I was relieved that the update also does not included photos of the children and highlights the wonderful relationship he shares with his partner Vanessa, but is not intrusive in the least.
All in all this is a great surface book for a first read on the actor, but as a 20 year diehard fan, I did find it sad and almost offensive that a real follower of Johnny’s career with writing qualifications was not chosen to collaborate in the new version of this wonderful book
