Take a stunning visual and narrative journey down the “dark desert highway” to explore the creation, legacy, and lasting cultural power of one of rock’s most iconic albums.

A milestone celebration of rock history and myth, Eagles and Hotel California: 50 Years offers fans and scholars a richly illustrated and deeply reported look at the Eagles and their landmark 1976 album Hotel California. Alongside 200+ photos and images, including rare studio, stage, and on-the-road photography and band memorabilia, veteran rock historian Sean Egan delivers a fresh analysis, exploring:

• The tumultuous 1976–77 sessions at the Record Plant (LA) and Criteria Studios (Miami) that gave birth to the album.
• The songs that became generational anthems—“New Kid in Town,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and the title track with its now-famous guitar duel—and their cultural resonance across rock radio and beyond. 
• The casualties, the excesses, and the contradictions of the L.A./desert-state rock scene: the band’s internal fractures, the golden age of studios, the paparazzi glare, and the trade-off between art and commerce.
• How the album’s 50th-year legacy plays out today, and how the myth of the “Hotel” gets repurposed for new generations of fans.

Presented in a giftable slipcased hardcover format, Eagles and Hotel California: 50 Years is a must-own book for enthusiasts of 1970s rock, delivering an in-depth glimpse into one of the most revered albums of all time and a reading experience that fuses music history with pop-culture myth-making.

The Great Albums series presents authoritative explorations of rock’s most revered records, beautifully packaged for fans to treasure. Delve into even more groundbreaking releases with: Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon, Bruce Springsteen and Born to Run, Prince and Purple Rain, Queen & A Night at the Opera, Run-DMC and Raising Hell, The Who & Quadrophenia, Beastie Boys and Licensed to Ill, and Fleetwood Mac and Rumours … with more to come!

Sean Egan has contributed to Billboard, Book Collector, Classic Rock, Record Collector, Uncut, RollingStone.com, and more. He has written or edited two dozen books, including works on the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Small Faces, the Clash, Manchester United, and James Bond. His 2002 book Jimi Hendrix and the Making of “Are You Experienced” was nominated for an Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research.