First edition

The book published by Faber and Faber

Faber and Faber

Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...

 in 1996 is divided into two sections. The first part is a diary

Diary

A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...

 covering the year 1995, the second part, the 'swollen appendices' of the title is a collection of essays, short stories and correspondence. The cover photograph is by Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...

.

Diary

The diary covers the year 1995, which proved to be particularly productive for Eno. It details four different musical projects he was involved in, the album Spinner

Spinner (album)

Spinner is an instrumental album by British musicians Brian Eno and Jah Wobble , released in 1995.- Track listing :# Where We Lived - 2:59# Like Organza - 2:44# Steam - 3:16# Garden Recalled - 3:21# Marine Radio - 5:04...

with Jah Wobble

Jah Wobble

Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...

, the Passengers album Original Soundtracks 1

Original Soundtracks 1

Original Soundtracks 1 is a 1995 album recorded by U2 and Brian Eno, as a side project, under the pseudonym Passengers...

with U2

U2

U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

, David Bowie

David Bowie

David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...

's Outside and the War Child

War Child (charity)

War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...

 charity album The Help Album

The Help Album

The Help Album is a 1995 charity album devoted to the War Child charity's aid efforts in war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina...

as well as exploratory sessions with the band James

James (band)

James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...

.

In addition it covers various other projects Eno was involved in, in particular his opposition to the attacks on Bosnia by Croatia. Throughout the diaries there is correspondence between Eno and Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand is an American writer, best known as editor of the Whole Earth Catalog. He founded a number of organizations including The WELL, the Global Business Network, and the Long Now Foundation...

, largely dealing with this subject.

Appendices

The appendices, which are delineated by pink paper in the original book, cover a number of different topics with some of the writing dating as far back as 1978. The essays cover subjects closely linked with Eno such as ambient music

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

, generative music

Generative music

Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different and changing, and that is created by a system.- Theory :There are four primary perspectives on "Generative Music" Generative music is a term popularized by Brian Eno to describe music that is ever-different...

, music copyright, the role of an artist and art. In addition there is correspondence, interviews and short stories.

It is rumored that the title is a play on words as well. His publicist who worked with him throughout the year suffered a burst appendix by the end of his busy year at the Pavarotti War Child Concert event in Modena with U2.