The Reggae Nation The Global Legacy of Bob Marley & The Wailers

A unique and colourful historical reggae travelogue exploring the global achievements and impact of legendary reggae group Bob Marley and the Wailers.

More about the book

A travelogue of inspiring revelations, with eloquent descriptions of Marley’s globe-spanning inspiration. Huisman is an articulate guide as he spins the globe, bringing remote outposts and cultures into view where Marley’s works have taken hold.

Roger Steffens

Author of So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley

The book

The Reggae Nation: The Global Legacy of Bob Marley & The Wailers is the result of ten years of research and is the first attempt to comprehensively explore the global achievements, presence, and impact of Bob Marley and the Wailers and their contributions to the ‘Reggae Nation’: the worldwide reggae community. In honouring the memory and legacy of Bob Marley, The Reggae Nation bears witness to and celebrates the enduring vibrancy of reggae music and its global spread.

The Reggae Nation book trailer on YouTube

As a global history of reggae and a reggae travelogue rolled into one, The Reggae Nation takes readers on an extraordinary and unique journey through time and space. From the bottom of the Grand Canyon to the frozen heights of the Himalayas in Nepal, from the Australian desert to the rainforests of South America, from the metropolis of Tokyo to small islands and locales around the world, and numerous places in between on all continents, this comprehensive volume takes readers to the roots and along the routes of reggae and Rastafari.

A striking, one-of-a-kind publication of 432 pages, The Reggae Nation is colourfully and richly illustrated by graphic artist Maria Papaefstathiou, co-founder of the International Reggae Poster Contest. The book features nearly 300 photos, many by renowned photographers from around the world, including Lee Abel, Adrian Boot, Murray Cammick, Ueli Frey, Kim Gottlieb-Walker, Gijsbert Hanekroot, Marcello Mencarini, Ebet Roberts, Mitsuhiro Sugawara, and Rob Verhorst. With a foreword by Roger Steffens, eminent reggae archivist and author of So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley.

The Reggae Nation was published on September 23, 2021 (exactly 40 years after Bob Marley's last live concert) as a limited edition of 600 hardcover copies. The book was released in coffee table format, measuring 23,5 cm (9.25") x 30 cm (11,81") x 3,9 cm (1.54“) and weighing 2.4 kg (5.3 lbs). All copies were numbered and signed by the author. In 2022, after a succesful campaign which included various media appearances, interviews, as well as offline events, the book was sold out.

The Reggae Nation highlights the author’s commitment to reggae, desire to share his knowledge and passion, and intention to give something back to the music and culture. The proceeds of book sales therefore in part go to charity, namely the non-profit organization HELP Jamaica! HELP Jamaica! supports educational projects in Jamaica to give children, young people, and adults from economically and socially disadvantaged areas the opportunity to learn, empower themselves, and nurture new skills.

The Reggae Nation book trailer on YouTube

About the author

Martijn Huisman is a longtime reggae afficionado, historian, and experienced researcher and author. He holds a PhD in Communication Sciences. The Reggae Nation is his second reggae book, following the 2018 debut Babylon By Bus: Bob Marley and the Wailers Live and Up Close about the concerts of Bob Marley in the Netherlands. More about the author

Ready to order?

There are only a handful of copies left, so don't miss out and order your copy today!

See what book buyers and reviewers have to say about the book

Testimonials

Your fantastic book has arrived and I am thrilled beyond words! What an amazing accomplishment! The design is terrific, the worldwide Marley artifacts are gorgeous, the reporting superb.

Roger Steffens (USA)

Author of So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley

Congratulations on such an impressive project. Excellent!

John Masouri (UK)

Author of Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's Wailers

AWESOME 🎸🎤🎹🪘🥁🎺🎷@reggaenationbook 💚🧡❤️👑

Junior Marvin (USA)

Guitarist Bob Marley and The Wailers

A book unlike any other and one that I encourage all Marley and reggae fans to get. It takes the reader around the globe and exposes them to the seeds that Bob planted so many years ago and what they resulted in. This book will take the reader on a journey of a lifetime. Along the way you'll learn how one man from Jamaica impacted an entire planet for the better good of humanity.

Joe Jurgensen (USA)

Author of Bob Marley: The Complete Annotated Bibliography

This hard-back book is an exceptional piece of work. It’s a real ‘labour of love’, to be cherished by the reggae community. Wonderfully-well packaged and produced, spilling over with an array of revealing insights. It is fair to say that this wonderfully-well illustrated tome is an invaluable addition to reggae’s library stock. As they now say around the globe: ‘Raspect’!

Gerry McMahon (Ireland)

Reggae writer and reviewer

A few days ago I got your phenomenal book! It's fantastic! Everything fits: the writing, the photographs, the design, the quality of the paper and the binding. It's quite a masterwork!

Rainer Bratfisch (Germany)

Author of Das grosse Reggae-Lexikon: Rastas, Riddims, Roots & Reggae: Vom Ska bis zum Dancehall

Wow, what a brilliant accomplishment! Popping graphics, heavy weight like a treasure, great photos…..and I haven’t even read anything yet! Who in the world with any interest in reggae at all would not want a copy?

Lee Abel (USA)

Reggae photographer

What a work...! The book looks really good; the design, the printing, the binding,... The design is very appealing, a nice balance between popular and serious. You can be really proud of it!

Gijsbert Hanekroot (Netherlands)

Photographer and co-author of Babylon By Bus: Bob Marley & the Wailers Live and Up Close

Bravo! The book is GORGEOUS. What an accomplishment! You should be very proud!

Kim Gottlieb-Walker (USA)

Photographer and author of Bob Marley and the Golden Age of Reggae

Great book. I can't stop reading it, loads of great pics. Heavy to lug around on travels, but it's loaded with lots of historic and great moments in Reggae.

Copeland Forbes (Jamaica)

Tour and artists manager, reggae historian

It is beautiful. I am often disappointed when books arrive as either the reproduction or paper quality or design are not good. I was happily surprised by the book and am honored to have a photograph in it. Congratulations!

Ebet Roberts (USA)

Rock photographer

I received your book, it's lovely!

Miss Pat Chin (USA)

Co-founder VP Records

In the media

Join the Reggae Nation

People from all over the world have bought The Reggae Nation. The map shows to which countries the book has been shipped. Click below for buyer feedback or check out the reviews on Amazon and Bol.com.

Ready to order?

There are only a handful of copies left, so don't miss out and order your copy today!

Order the book

Thank you!

Thank you for your support of the book, it truly means a lot and is hugely appreciated! Without the help of fans from around the world, The Reggae Nation could not have come to fruition.