{"product_id":"iconic-albums-the-birth-of-richard-ward-9798244364545","title":"Iconic Albums The Birth of Bowie Era (1967-1969): David Bowie \u0026 Space Oddity: Songs, identity, and the foundation of reinvention","description":"\u003cp\u003eBetween 1967 and 1969, David Bowie did not rise. He \u003ci\u003edisappeared\u003c\/i\u003e-and in doing so, learned how to last.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book explores the two albums most often treated as false starts or curiosities-\u003ci\u003eDavid Bowie\u003c\/i\u003e (1967) and \u003ci\u003eSpace Oddity\u003c\/i\u003e (1969)-and argues that they are, in fact, Bowie's true birth. Not the birth of an icon, but the birth of a method. A way of writing, distancing, surviving, and preparing that would make everything that followed possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than chasing mythology too early, Bowie endured failure, silence, and misunderstanding. He learned why whimsy collapses without focus, why confession can be emotionally dangerous, why ambiguity outlives explanation, and why belonging is often a trap. Through aborted singles, commercial indifference, accidental success, and cultural misreading, Bowie developed the emotional and artistic discipline that would later allow him to reinvent himself without collapsing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a book about patience over hype.\u003cbr\u003ePreparation over spectacle.\u003cbr\u003eSongwriter before icon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTracing Bowie's journey from the failed 1967 debut through the unlikely success of \"Space Oddity\" and toward the darkness of \u003ci\u003eThe Man Who Sold the World\u003c\/i\u003e, this volume shows how Bowie learned to use distance instead of confession, suggestion instead of statement, character instead of exposure. It reveals how science fiction became emotional metaphor, how sexual ambiguity became atmosphere, and how reinvention became necessity rather than indulgence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZiggy Stardust does not appear here-but the conditions that made Ziggy inevitable are fully formed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is not the story of Bowie becoming famous.\u003cbr\u003eIt is the story of Bowie becoming \u003ci\u003edurable\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA deep, analytical, and emotionally precise study of the years that shaped everything, \u003cb\u003e1967-1969 as Bowie's True Birth\u003c\/b\u003e reframes early failure as structural preparation-and shows why David Bowie had to be born twice in order to survive being himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Richard Ward\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798244364545\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/17\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 132\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.41lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.28d","brand":"Richard Ward","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48520220508415,"sku":"9798244364545","price":17.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_16a7aa1e-1440-4263-b12e-14aee5022879.jpg?v=1778741458","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/iconic-albums-the-birth-of-richard-ward-9798244364545","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}