METALLICA have signed with Broadway Books to publish the group's first-ever official book, a lavishly illustrated scrapbook of the band's spectacular journey.

Charlie Conrad, executive editor of Broadway Books, acquired world and serial rights. The project is represented by Lydia Wills of Writers and Artists Agency International, which also provides personal appearance representation for METALLICA. Publication is set for August 2004, when METALLICA will be in the middle of a more-than-80-city North American and European tour.

Tentatively titled "So What! The Metallibook by Metallica", the book will be issued as an over-sized hardcover and will include more than 1,000 photographs, band members' handwritten entries, drawings, and reflections, and roundtable discussions with the group at its most revealing. Archival materials, including band photos and exclusive interviews and features, will be compiled from "So What!", the official METALLICA fan club magazine. Current band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo will add new material, including an introduction and hand-written notes and comments throughout. The book will be edited by Steffan Chirazi, full-time chronicler of the band and editor of "So What!" magazine, a quarterly that is mailed to 20,000 members of the METALLICA fan club.

"METALLICA has proved to be one of the most popular and enduring rock acts of all time," said Charlie Conrad. "We are tremendously excited to be publishing the band's very first official book and believe that the humor, quality, and inside nature of the material will make 'So What!' a must-have for die-hards and casual fans alike."