Woodstock Turns 40: Top 9 Books

June 24, 2009 — -- Forty years after a crowd of nearly 500,000 gathered for three days of peace, love and music, "Good Morning America" is celebrating Woodstock's 40th anniversary. The iconic pop culture event is being remembered in so many ways, including in books.

We have some of the best of the bunch right here.

See our nine favorite Woodstock books below, and then check out "GMA" Books for more good reads.

Woodstock Revisited

50 Stories From Those Who Were There

Edited by Susan Reynolds

Susan Reynolds was "there." As a part of Woodstock, Reynolds saw firsthand one of the most significant musical events in American culture. "Woodstock Revisited" is the first and only book to chronicle the audience experience at Woodstock.

Read stories from 50 of the 500,000 attendees at the dairy farm in upstate New York, and gain new insight into three days that changed the world.

The Woodstock Story Book

Special 40th Anniversary Edition

Text by Linanne G. Sackett

Photographs by Barry Z. Levine

Barry Z. Levine, part of the Academy Award-winning "Woodstock" documentary team, photographed the three-day music festival. Levine arrived before the crowds and remained after the last of the audience had gone.

Levine took so many pictures that he had blisters on his index finger and thumb from clicking the shutter and advancing the film.

In "The Woodstock Story Book," more than 300 of Levine's pictures are compiled to offer a new look at the performers, personalities, audience and excitement that made up Woodstock.

Back to the Garden

The Story of Woodstock

By Pete Fornatale

Author and New York City disc jockey Pete Fornatale brings Woodstock to life through original interviews with Roger Daltry, Joan Baez, David Crosby, Richie Havens, Joe Cocker and dozens of headliners, organizers and fans.

Back to the Garden celebrates the iconic concert's 40th anniversary through the words of the people who were there. These interviews along with beautiful black and white photos document Richie Haven's legendary opening act, The Who's violent performance, the Grateful Dead's jam and Jimi Hendrix's famous guitar solo.

Woodstock Vision:The Spirit of a Generation

Celebrating The 40th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival

By Elliott Landy

Introduction By Jerry Garcia and Commentary By Richie Havens

Elliott Landy was Woodstock's official photographer. Landy captured iconic shots of legendary performances and documented casual scenes from around the festival grounds.

"Woodstock Vision" includes commentary from Landy as well as festival staff and performers including Richie Havens and the late Jerry Garcia. And among the amazing photographs in this book, readers can see shots from the sessions for Van Morrison's Moondance, Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline, and iconic shots of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Doors and the Band.

Girls Like Us

Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon – and the Journey of a Generation

By Sheila Weller

"Girls Like Us" is a biography of three of America's most influential female musicians. It shows how Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon represent -- in their lives and through their songs -- the women who came of age during the 1960s and '70s.

"Girls Like Us" was named one the Best Books of 2008 by Library Journal, The Christian Science Monitor and Amazon.com. It is now available in paperback.

The Road to Woodstock

From the Man Behind the Legendary Festival

By Michael Lang with Holly George-Warren

In "The Road to Woodstock," readers are taken on a journey with the man behind the festival, Michael Lang, starting with his first music festival in Miami in 1968 and ending in Woodstock.

Lang is a concert promoter, producer and artist manager who co-created the Woodstock Festival in 1969. Through Lang's stories and other firsthand accounts of musicians, artists and people who were just there, "The Road to Woodstock" celebrates the festival's milestone by putting readers right in the heart of Woodstock.

Woodstock Peace, Music & Memories

Three History-Making Days in '69

By Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague

"Woodstock Peace, Music & Memories" takes readers back to the historic concert and society-changing experience through the words, photos of people, places, memorabilia and legendary musical moments. Older readers can relive the festival, and younger ones can learn about the cultural phenomenon that was Woodstock.

Authors Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague were members of the Woodstock Preservation Alliance and are active in the preservation of the festival site.

Woodstock

Three Days That Rocked the World

Edited by Mike Evans & Paul Kingsbury, Foreword by Martin Scorsese,In Association with The Museum at Bethel Woods

"Woodstock: Three Days That Rocked the World" is organized into three parts covering different parts of the music festival: origins, the event and the aftermath.

A comprehensive guide to all that was Woodstock, this book is packed with memorabilia and includes never-before-seen interviews with musicians, managers, fans, photographers, organizers and technicians.

Max Said Yes! The Woodstock Story

By Abigail Yasgur and Joseph Lipner

"Max Said Yes! The Woodstock Story" is an illustrated kid's book that tells the story of Max Yasgur who made his mark on rock and roll history when he said "Yes" to the three days of peace, love and music that was Woodstock.

From the colorful illustrations to the simple, heartfelt story, the book captures the tone and attitude of one of the greatest festivals in the history of music.