Dream Theater uncovered
Hot of the press, a big box containing the first copies of the Classic Edition of Lifting Shadows has arrived at Essential’s office in London. We couldn’t wait to get it open. Here’s what was inside.
Hot of the press, a big box containing the first copies of the Classic Edition of Lifting Shadows has arrived at Essential’s office in London. We couldn’t wait to get it open. Here’s what was inside.
Today we’re announcing the publication date for the two new editions of Lifting Shadows: 30th November 2009.
The books are currently being printed, and they’ll be sent out from our warehouse in the days immediately after the publication date. The delivery time will vary depending on where you are in the world, but you should receive your order in plenty of time for Christmas.
The publication date will also mark the end of the pre-order period. So orders placed after 30th November will no longer benefit from the 15% discount on the Classic Edition. If you haven’t placed your order yet, now’s the time to buy.
Finally, if you have already placed your order, please take a moment to check that we have the correct shipping details for you. It’s a little while since the first orders were placed, so if your address has changed since ordering you’ll need to let us know. You can update your details online using the weblink at the bottom of your confirmation email. Please note that any amendments to your shipping address must be made by 23rd November 2009.
Here is the final cover of the Classic Edition of Lifting Shadows. Many thanks to the hundreds of you who voted! The poll on the three draft designs resulted in two clear favourites, with only a couple of votes between them. So, the casting vote for the front went to Mike Portnoy and author Rich Wilson, leaving room for the image used in the other leading design on the back.
Purchasers of the Limited Edition, meanwhile, can look forward to real leather binding – we hope to have some first images of this shortly!

As we’ve been hinting over on Twitter, we’ve got a very special competition up our sleeves. We’re printing a very, very small number of extra special copies of the Limited Edition for the band themselves. Like the rest of the Limited Edition books, these will be luxurious leather-bound copies of Rich’s acclaimed biography. Unlike the rest of the Limited Edition, they will sport a unique foiled designation on the front cover and they won’t be put on sale. In fact, the only place you might ever see one is on the guys’ personal bookshelves. We’ve got one of these highly unusual books – we’re calling it the Golden Book – to give away. What’s more, Dream Theater have agreed to sign it.
To be in with a chance of winning the Golden Book, simply pre-order either edition of the new Lifting Shadows. When the pre-order phase ends, we’ll randomly select one purchaser to receive the prize. You can choose either the Classic Edition or the Limited Edition – there will simply be one chance to win per customer, so it doesn’t matter which edition you order or how many copies you buy. And if you’ve already ordered, don’t worry – your name will also go into the hat. Good luck!
Here’s your chance to become involved in the release of the Classic Edition – by voting for the cover of your choice. We’ve whittled down the potential covers to just three, so please pick your favourite from the draft versions pictured and vote at the bottom.



Metal Hammer have an interesting piece today focussing on just one snippet of information from the book: Mike Portnoy’s opinion of Kevin Moore: “If Kevin Moore Hadn’t Left, We’d Have Broken Up” is the headline. Check it out here.
If you’ve just ordered the new Lifting Shadows, then you’re now the future owner of a unique piece of Dream Theater memorabilia. Nobody likes a show-off, but hey, a cool little adornment to your forum signature can’t do any harm! There’s one for each new edition, and – for owners of the original Box Set – one for the original book as well. No cheatin’ now.
You can download the graphics themselves by right-clicking or (Mac users) control-clicking on the image you want, and saving it to your local computer. Or, just copy the relevant snippet of HTML code to your clipboard and paste it into your signature directly.
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<a href="http://liftingshadows.com" title="Lifting Shadows website"><img src="http://liftingshadows.com/banners/ls_sig_002_classic.gif" alt="Lifting Shadows | Classic Edition" width="350" height="20" border="0" /></a>
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<a href="http://liftingshadows.com" title="Lifting Shadows website"><img src="http://liftingshadows.com/banners/ls_sig_003_limited.gif" alt="Lifting Shadows | Limited Edition" width="350" height="20" border="0" /></a>
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<a href="http://liftingshadows.com" title="Lifting Shadows website"><img src="http://liftingshadows.com/banners/ls_sig_001_boxset.gif" alt="Lifting Shadows | Box Set Edition" width="350" height="20" border="0" /></a>
If you previously purchased the original Box Set Edition of Lifting Shadows from Essential Works, we’d like to thank you by offering a 25% discount on the price of the new Classic Edition. The discount works using a personal code that is being emailed to owners of the original book. Simply follow the instructions in the email to claim your discount, and the site will display the reduced prices automatically.
Lots of people have asked what to do if they have changed their email address since ordering the original book. If you fall into this category, there is a special online form you can use to update us. We’ll need to check our records to match you with your original purchase, so please fill in as much of the information as possible.
If, on the other hand, you’re sure that we do have your correct email address but you have not received your voucher, there are a couple of possibilities. The emails are being sent gradually, so it may be that yours simply hasn’t arrived yet. Or, it may have mistakenly landed in your junk mail or trash folder, so it’s worth having a look in there. Failing that, drop us a line and we’ll do our best to help.
Welcome to the new Lifting Shadows website. We’re pleased to say that Rich Wilson’s fully revised and updated edition of his acclaimed biography of Dream Theater is now available to pre-order.
This new edition is based on the Words book from the original Box Set Edition, only it is now some 40% longer! It brings the Dream Theater story bang up-to-date, including an extensive account of recording Black Clouds & Silver Linings as well as all the DT members’ side projects.
There are two new editions to choose from. The Classic Edition – a standard hardback, albeit a high quality one – or the luxurious leather-bound Limited Edition, limited to a print-run of just 2,000 copies and personally signed by the author himself. Find out more here.
We will be updating this site with all the latest news on the project, including details of how owners of the original Box Set Edition can take advantage of an exclusive discount on the new Classic Edition. You can also keep informed on Facebook, Twitter and via our RSS feed. And if you are not already on our email mailing list, click here to join it.