Rock journalist Blake (Comfortably Numb) examines Led Zeppelin's infamous manager Peter Grant (1935–95). At age 15, Grant dropped out of school and took a job as a stage hand in a nude show. After working behind the scenes for more than ten years, he became a band manager. He and guitarist Jimmy Page created Led Zeppelin, one of the biggest rock bands of the late 1960s and 1970s. This book describes all of the common tropes of rock and roll biographies: sex, drugs, hotel room destruction, Satanism, and sacks full of cash. The author addresses the many rumors about the band's road activities, drawing on recent interviews with Grant's family; former band members, including lead singer Robert Plant; and former colleagues. Led Zeppelin's may be the ultimate tale of rock and roll riches and excess. The stories get wilder as the years go on, conveyed superbly through Blake's compelling prose. VERDICT The first comprehensive biography of Grant, this detailed work is essential to anyone interested in Led Zeppelin, the history of rock, or the lifestyle of rockers in the 1960s and 1970s.—Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL