Two 2007 books chart U2's four-decade rise from Dublin to superstardom. They both remind you what an incredible journey it has been. First there is "U2" by U2 (told by the band with the help from manager Paul McGuinness and author Neil McCormick), which promises a revealing and an unprecedented look at the band from within its inner circle. The photographs from the band archive are eye-opening, but the real story that never fails to astonish is the simple story of how four teenagers from Dublin's Mount Temple School came to dominate the music world. Legend has it that the lads met in a crowded kitchen to talk about forming a band, even though their equipment was battered and their skills questionable. In addition, nobody wanted to be the lead singer. Eventually, they became a punk band, evolved when New Wave became a fad in the early 80s, garnered a cult following and then exploded in the mid-1980s with the American-blues tinge of "The Joshua Tree." That alone would make for a great story, but the story of how they stayed on top of the world - appearing on the cover of Time magazine nearly 20 years later - is equally compelling.

($39.95/352pages/ Harper Entertainment) Also available in America now is Visnja Cogan's "U2: An Irish Phenomenon," a more straightforward version of the U2 story, focusing on more of the band's conflicts, particularly Adam Clayton's battle with drinking which nearly broke up the group. ($34.95 / 280 pages / Dufour)