Here are some excellent biographies of the band.
The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.: A Biography – THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An electrifying cultural biography of the greatest and last American rock band of the millennium, whose music ignited a generation—and reasserted the power of rock and roll.
Perfect Circle: The Story of R.E.M. – Drawing on interviews with band members, friends, associates and business partners, the book follows R.E.M.’s upward trajectory from the seminal debut Murmur in 1983 to the 1990s when their albums Out Of Time, Automatic For The People and Monster sold tens of millions, making them one of the world’s biggest groups, to their final years together.
Begin the Begin: R.E.M.’s Early Years – Begin the Begin is the first biography of R.E.M. wholly researched and written since they disbanded in 2011. It offers by far the most detailed account of the group’s formative years–their early lives, their first encounters with one another, their legendary debut show, early tours in the back of a van, initial recordings, their shrewdly paced rise to fame.
Maps and Legends: The Story of R.E.M. – The most thorough and comprehensive biography of R.E.M. yet published, Maps and Legends covers not just the band’s entire career, from “Radio Free Europe” to Collapse Into Now, but also delves deeply into the childhoods of each of the band members
R.E.M.’s Murmur (33 1/3) – R.E.M.’s debut album, released in 1983, was so far removed from the prevailing trends of American popular music that it still sounds miraculous and out of time today. J. Niimi tells the story of the album’s genesis – with fascinating input from Don Dixon and Mitch Easter.
R.E.M. Album by Album – A comprehensive album-by-album, song-by-song breakdown and analysis of R.E.M.’s entire 31-year career.
R.E.M. Athens GA: R.E.M. In Photographs 1984-2005 – Showcasing photographs across 3 decades with alt-rock pioneers R.E.M.
R.E.M. HELLO – Released to coincide with their world tour and new album, this gorgeous photo book captures the band on- and offstage with rare and intimate access for the first time.
Michael Stipe: The Biography – The Biography will explore his nomadic early years as the child in a military family, his early love of punk and photography, his relationship with his two sisters and the drive behind one of the hardest working men in music.
Our Interference Times: A Visual Record – Michael Stipe has collaborated with the writer and artist Douglas Coupland on an investigation of how analog imagery is crashing on the shores of our digital future.