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One of the most popular biographies of Frank Zappa, written by record producer and music historian Neil Slaven.

Links

ARF: Bibliography
Zappa Wiki Jawaka
Zappa-analysis
Amazon Customer Reviews
Review by Harry Shapiro @ Mojo
Review @ Q

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Same as above, but paperback. Next paperback editions:

• 1998: reprint under same ISBN 0-7119-6553-6
• 2003: ISBN 0-7119-9436-6 titled "Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story of Frank Zappa"

Links

ARF: Bibliography
Zappa Wiki Jawaka
Zappa-analysis
Amazon Customer Reviews
Review by Harry Shapiro @ Mojo
Review @ Q

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New edition as paperback. The title changed to "Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story of Frank Zappa".

Google books
Amazon Customer Reviews

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Italian translation of "Electric Don Quixote: The Story of Frank Zappa" by Stefano Focacci. 2nd Italian edition followed in 2010 (ISBN 9788862880619).

Review by Stefania Scateni

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Czech translation of "Electric Don Quixote: The Story of Frank Zappa" by Richard Podaný. Additional edits by Petr Dorůžka.

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German translation of "Electric Don Quixote: The Story of Frank Zappa" by Marie Mainzer.

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Hungarian translation of "Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story of Frank Zappa" by Attila Ágfalvi, Bálint Marosi (www.zappa.hu editor) and Péter Wolf. This book is from series of biographies "Legendák élve vagy halva" (Legends, dead or alive).

Very nicely made book!

Bálint Marosi (2010.05.26):

The pictures are all used that were in the original edition, and we had some fights for the cover: we've found some REALLY great pictures, but it was impossible - or really expensive - to get most of them. We really loved the pics of Norman Seeff, but he said "he has to ask Gail". And - would you guess?... - Gail said "no" because "she has some other plans whit them right now"..

Anyway, the publisher used 2 pictures, AND they made the cover from this 2 pictures: FZ's face from one (pic by John Livsey), and the [idea of] fan from another, from Norman Seeff's photo [Musician, Feb. 1994, pp 18-19] (get it? the "windmill" of Don Quixote....).

Well, before translation we asked several friends all around the world, and they said we should translate this one. Later I've read Barry Miles' book, and telling the truth, it's almost the same - and found almost nothing about his "offensiveness". A normal biography, with some of his opinions here and there, but - as far as I can tell, nothing rude.

My main problem with both books that they care REALLY LOT about the sixties and seventies and dont waste too much time for the eighties or nineties. Okay, those are still there, but TO ME the balance is not real.

Here's a drawing I've made about Miles' book: http://www.zappa.hu/?q=hu/node/2813 You see we reach the eighties almost only on page 300...

But anyway: both can be good, almost with the same structure, maybe with too much datas and facts, but for us it seemed to be a good one to start with.

NOW I'd be glad with a book about the MUSIC. :-) I'm tired of the facts. :-) (Slaven sometimes even tells the exact dates of some guitar solos, one after the other :-) )

zappa.hu (Hungarian)
zappa.hu English
www.killuglyradio.com
LibraryThing

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Russian translation of "Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story of Frank Zappa" by A.G. Burov. Solid hardcover edition with print-run 3000.