A Box of Rain
A Box of Rain is a 1990 book by Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, compiling his complete songbook, in and out of the Dead, from 1965 until 1990. A more-recent paperback edition has also been published, which includes lyrics up until 1993; the original edition was hardbound. The 1993 publication also includes a different introduction by the author.
The book's title comes from "Box of Rain", a song recorded and made famous on the Dead's 1970 studio classic, American Beauty. For a time, the book was considered the best source of Grateful Dead lyrics. However, that distinction is questionable after the publication of The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics by David Dodd, which compiles songs not only by Hunter, but by other Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow; this book also includes cover songs and folk songs performed by the Dead.
Sources
- David Dodd, The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, Free Press (2005) ISBN 0-7432-7747-3
- Robert Hunter, A Box of Rain, Penguin (Non-Classics); (1993) ISBN 0-14-013451-4
- Official Grateful Dead Website