Today (August 1st) sees the publication of the only official Live 8 book. Coming just under a month after the worldwide concerts, the book itself was put together in just seven days, to ensure that it would be ready so soon after the event.

Despite the speed of production, this book is a wonderful, quality record of the day. With a foreword by Bob Geldof and over 300 colour photographs, this charts one of the most momentous days the world has seen in decades. From Geldof's initial reluctance to stage another Band Aid concert, to the lead up to the shows around the world, and the day itself, this book is a unique record of an event witnessed by over 85 per cent of the world's population.

The book also contains backstage images, exclusive photographs from the concerts around the world, reflections and quotes from the many performers. Naturally, the Pink Floyd reunion gets plenty of mention, with the final cover featuring separate shots of David Gilmour and Nick Mason on the back, and a great grimace from Roger Waters on the cover. The image to the right is now the production version, on which one can see in the bottom right hand corner, Roger's grimace!

Inside, there are a number of pictures of the band in action, some of which haven't been seen before, alongside quotes from the members of the band (in particular, Nick). There are also some backstage shots and portraits, including one of David being kissed by Paul McCartney!

The paperback, with a UK list price of £15.99, is being sold in aid of Live 8, with £5 from every copy sold going to the charity. So, another good reason to snap up a copy!

The book can be ordered through the following special links: Amazon UK, Canada, France, or Germany.