"Of That Time"

The first book published about the Jackson 5 was this unassuming little paperback original by Ellen Motoviloff, published by Scholastic in 1972. (A note on the copyright page specifies that the book was written in June/July 1971 and "all ages mentioned are of that time.")

The book has the usual breathless reporting of a teen magazine, and there's not much in the text that fans wouldn't already know, except perhaps that Jermaine hates oatmeal. But what makes the book worth seeking out are the photos, some of them taken by the author herself when she visited the J5 at home, and several from their 1970 appearance at the Los Angeles Forum. In fact, the only concert photos are from this performance where there must have been dozens of photos taken.

As you wait for the Jackson 5 Live at the Forum cd to be released, you can feast your eyes on the photos of the concert from the book, seen here in their entirety.