The Used's Bert McCracken Announces 'In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook'

06-16-2025

(BPM) The Used frontman Bert McCracken is proud to announce the upcoming release of his book, In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook, which has an estimated publishing date of November 4th.

Inside is home to his intimate, long-lost artifact - composed of handwritten lyrics, poems, sketches, and personal reflections from nearly twenty years ago - will be available in a signed, limited edition beginning late Fall 2025, along with an unsigned non-slipcase standard edition in stores worldwide. Signed preorders are available now exclusively at rarebirdlit.com.

Originally thought to be lost forever, McCracken's personal notebook - used during the creation of The Used's seminal 2004 album In Love and Death - resurfaced unexpectedly online and was safely returned to him after two decades. Now, for the first time, McCracken opens the pages to share the raw thoughts and formative writings that would evolve into some of the band's most beloved songs.

"This notebook is a time capsule," McCracken says. "It's a snapshot of who I was, what I went through, and how those emotions turned into the music we made. Getting it back brought a rush of memories-pain, joy, chaos, and everything in between."

More than a behind-the-scenes look at one of emo's most influential records, In Love and Death: The Lost Notebook is an artifact of emotional honesty and artistic fearlessness. Alongside raw, unfiltered entries from McCracken's early twenties are evocative doodles, scraps of lyrics, and deeply personal reflections on grief, addiction, creativity and resilience.

"I never thought I'd publish a book-unless it was weird, postmodern fiction," McCracken reflects. "But when I found this notebook again, I knew I had to share it. I was fearless then. And there's magic in what survived."