MIXED MEDIA : Rock Innocence and Decadence : ****: <i> This periodic survey of pop-related books, videocassettes and laser discs are rated on a scale of one (poor) to five stars (a classic). </i> : “BLINDS & SHUTTERS” Photographs by Michael Cooper <i> Published by Genesis/Hedley ($595)</i>

Michael Cooper is not a name that most rock fans will recognize, although he earned a small place in pop history by taking the cover photographs for both the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and the Rolling Stones’ “Their Satanic Majesties Request” albums.

However, this extraordinary, limited-edition book--whose photos are reproduced in fine-screen lithography and bound in Moroccan leather paper and buckram--links the late London photographer’s name with the swinging London scene of the ‘60s and early ‘70s in a way that may prove indelible.

It’s a fascinating look at the innocence and decadence of what many still feel was rock’s golden era; a time when a generation of artists felt society was being forever changed--and, to some degree, they may have been right.

Cooper took more than 70,000 photos, concentrating not only on the rock stars who defined the era, but also a wider circle of creative artists who intersected with the musicians. Those other figures from literature and art ranged from novelist Terry Southern and gallery owner Robert Fraser to artists Andy Warhol and David Hockney.

Rather than the highly composed and sometimes sterile images in much of Rolling Stone magazine’s recent “The Photographs,” Cooper’s works lean more toward the warm accessibility of candid snapshots.

“Michael had that perfect ability to take all those pictures without annoying anybody,” Keith Richards says in a remembrance that appears beneath a picture of the Rolling Stones guitarist holding a coke spoon to his nose. “It would be accepted by whoever was around--people wouldn’t know they were having their picture taken.”

This personal quality is what makes looking through the more than 600 photos in “Blinds & Shutters”--for anyone who lived through the early Beatles/Stones era--a bit like rediscovering a school yearbook or a family scrapbook that had been in the garage for 20 years. Indeed, Cooper’s photos were stored away until 1985 after his suicide in 1973.

Cooper’s son Adam and his former assistant Perry Richardson began work in 1985 on reviving Cooper’s dream of a book of photos. Their efforts led to Brian Roylance, owner and editor of Genesis Press, which had published limited-edition books by George Harrison and Beatles publicist Derek Taylor. He served as editor of the project.

“I was told Michael had wanted to do a book that would be a collaboration of all his friends and that’s what intrigued me,” Roylance said in an interview. “There was such a tremendous range of people in his photos, a mix of musicians, artists and writers that mirrored the cultural (exchange) of the period--an interaction that doesn’t exist anymore. The book seemed to be a way to underscore that cultural richness.”

More than 50 of Cooper’s subjects--from the Beatles and Stones to Eric Clapton and Terry Southern--joined in the project, writing remembrances of varying lengths. The energy involved in assembling this ambitious book and the gentleness of the recollections stand as an act of love to a lost friend and a lost age. Each copy is autographed by at least 10 of the book’s subjects.

Roylance said there are no plans at present to publish a more conventional version of the book. “Blinds & Shutters” can be ordered from Christopher, Cabot & Fuller Ltd. in Atlanta, (800) 828-5861.