The publication of the book “Valhalla!: The A to Z of Led Zeppelin” has been delayed yet again.
The book was scheduled for publication in September, but an email from the book’s publisher Bonnier Books sent to a LedZepNews reader last month claimed: “This book has been removed from our publishing schedule, and so will no longer be publishing with us in Sept 2026.”
Originally announced in July 2022, the book is written by former Kerrang! and Planet Rock editor Paul Brannigan.
Brannigan’s book was initially scheduled to be published on November 10, 2022. A US publisher then listed the book’s publication date as February 7, 2023.
Then the book was significantly delayed and given a revised publication date of September 11, 2025. Publication was again delayed to September 10, 2026.
Now, it’s unclear when or if the book will be published. Amazon UK claims copies of the book will arrive between January and April 2027.
Here’s the book’s description from its Amazon UK listing:
Titled in tribute to the gloriously theatrical lyric from ‘Immigrant Song’, Valhalla!: The A to Z of Led Zeppelin aims to illuminate and unpack the mythology and majesty of the greatest hard-rock band of all time. Utilising a similar tone and structure to Mark Blake’s wildly entertaining, critically acclaimed Magnifico!: The A to Z of Queen, this book seeks to re-animate Led Zeppelin for a global audience in a digestible, accessible and authoritative format. Liberated from the constraints of a conventional biography, the alphabetised entries will include eyewitness anecdotes and analytical mini-essays, as well as original critiques of the music of Plant, Page, Jones and Bonham – and, crucially, what their songs reveal about the men who crafted them.
Among the book’s irreverent pages, readers will find out just how much money the quartet invested in Monty Python and exactly why Barack Obama felt compelled to host them in a room with 3-inch-thick windows and a secret-service presence. Yet this meticulously researched guide also provides a comprehensive overview of the group’s game-changing rise to ascendancy and the subsequent fallout as three creatively restless musicians struggled to process the devastating loss of their dear friend and esteemed bandmate John Bonham.
Packed with insightful trivia to delight Led Zep loyalists and casual fans alike, this is the rock and roll story of all the good times and bad times.
Let’s have it!
💙🩷💕🩷💜☄️⚡️🌙Zep
Can’t WAIT‼️Best band of ALL time🎸🍋😏🎼🎵🎶‼️
Get The Led Out!
Another money spinner purporting to enhance our lives with hitherto unknown facts about the band. I would say don’t bother!
With a bit of research, Zep fans will realise this book offers nothing new. There have been COUNTLESS publications over the past forty years that provide virtually all the info in this new book. Too many money spinners on the group, and all the young fans who never even saw the band are fooled into thinking these new books are the holy grail. My advice is to do research and buy the books that are worth buying and reading. A review of the band’s game-changing rise to ascendancy (yawn). Yes, we’ve read it all before and we don’t need it again.
The purported authors who claim to possess insider information about Led Zeppelin are largely untrustworthy.
Jimmy Page rarely granted interviews, and John Bonham never did. The only interviews conducted were by the late Richard Cole, who was known for his drug use and whose statements were often exaggerated. Robert Plant’s memory is unreliable, and John Paul Jones abruptly ended the conversation.
Major correction: As most Zepp fans know. Page gave loads of interviews over the years, and so did Bonham.