Books — In Stock — Books 
A special selection of disc guides and discographies, music history, record art books, graphic novels, and some nicely-priced remainders!
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(Items 1 – 72 of 72)
Backbeat Books, 2014. New Copy ... $8.99 24.99
George Jones was a country singer with a hell of a voice, and a hell of a lot of ups and downs in his life – a fair bit of issues that were brought on by his lifestyle and upbringing, all of which had an undeniable impact on the emotional strength of his music! Writer Bob Allen chronicles ... read more Book
Skyhorse, 2018. New Copy ... $6.99 18.99
A nicely expanded version of this important look at the career and music of Aretha Franklin – one that was first published at the end of the 80s, but which has been refined over the years to follow her changing career – and updated in this final edition, which covers the last decade of ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Feral House, 2019. New Copy ... $12.99 17.95
Screamin Jay Hawkins is best-remembered for his crazy R&B tune "I Put A Spell On You" – a wild track from the postwar years – and it turns out that the man himself has had a life that's equally wild over the years, served up here by author Steve Bergsman, pulled from ... read more Book
Feral House, 1926. New Copy ... $12.99 17.95
A book that's almost 100 years old, but which still has a resonance all these many years later – a fantastic look at the underground of hoboes, hustlers, and hoods in the early 20th Century – penned by a newsman who spent plenty of time riding the rails himself! There's nothing too ... read more Book
Primary Information, 2018. New Copy ... $24.99 34.00
One of the coolest discographies you'll ever see in your life – a special book devoted to ultra-rare records created by artists as well as musicians – first published in 1989, and filled with a wealth of obscure records from the 50s through the 80s! Musical styles run from avant jazz ... read more Book
(Limited edition – and comes with a bonus flexidisc!)
Manoah Bowman —
Fellini – The Sixties (hardcover) ... Book Running Press, 2015. New Copy ... $15.99 65.00
A stunningly beautiful book on the 60s work of director Federico Fellini – one that's oversize, and overflowing with images that include film stills, publicity shots, candids, film posters, and other vivid representations of his cinematic imagination – all put together in a special ... read more Book
Flatiron Books, 2017. New Copy ... $4.99 26.99
The amazing story of the Wu-Tang's one-copy, million dollar album – a record that may be one of the greatest hoaxes in modern music, or a true marriage of hip hop and the art world! The record is hardly canonical material from the group, but it does represent a fascinating 21st Century ... read more Book
Riverhead Books, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 27.95
You know her from Sleater-Kinney, you love her on Portlandia, and you'll soon discover that Carrie Brownstein is a hell of a writer, too – able to tell her tale with all the wit she's brought to recent TV work, but also with the kind of openly powerful words that she first gave us with her ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Octopus Books (UK), 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 39.99
A day-by-day list of important dates in hip hop – starting in 1973, and running all the way up to the present! Given that Chuck D's the man in charge, the set focuses most strongly on the 80s and early 90s – with very strong chapters on 1984 through 1995 – where date after date ... read more Book
Steidl (Germany), 2014. New Copy ... $8.99 48.00
John Cohen was a member of the famous folk group The New Lost City Ramblers, and also gained great fame as a photographer too – most notably for his High & Lonesome Sound book of images on Roscoe Holcomb and his community – but also here for a whole host of shots that document the ... read more Book
Hat & Beard, 2018. New Copy ... $52.99 60.00
A beautiful expansion of a famous moment in creative journalism – the famous 1968 issue of Esquire magazine that featured William S Burroughs, Terry Southern, Allen Ginsberg, Jean Genet, and Abbie Hoffman at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago! The results of that tumultuous event have ... read more Book
Penguin Books, 2015. New Copy ... $5.99 30.00
A wonderfully-written autobiography from Elvis Costello – a book that's not only completely illuminating for any fan of his music, but which stands quite strongly on his own, even if you're not a longtime fan of the man himself! The volume almost sets a new standard for musician ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Feral House, 2005. New Copy ... $18.99 25.95
The first book we've ever seen to fully do justice to the world of porn paperbacks in the 60s – that insanely profitable underground that existed in a space between girlie mags and cinematic pornography – when words enough were plenty to titillate the libido of a reader! Many of the ... read more Book
Back Beat, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 24.99
One of the greatest soul music TV shows ever (and one that originated in Chicago, too!) – presented here in deep detail with loads of interesting stories and anecdotes too! The book's almost a more personal history of the show than a technical one – but that's OK with us, because it ... read more Book
Sterling, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 24.95
As the frontman for The Kinks, Ray Davies has always given us a wonderful picture of his native England – so we're already on board with his look at our homeland in this compelling blend of history, essay, and memoir! The book has Davies looking at different strands of America through ... read more Book
Chronicle, 2007. New Copy ... $8.99 29.95
A photobook of the late great indie pop songwriting enigma Elliot Smith! This is a genuine tribute to Elliot – a compilation of hundreds of shots taken by his friend and photographer Autumn De Wilde. It's got personal, informal and official album-related pics, some live shots and much more. ... read more Book
Andrew DeGraff & AD Jameson —
Cinemaps – An Atlas Of 35 Great Movies (hardcover) ... Book Quirk, 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 29.99
Maybe the coolest kind of atlas you can ever read – an imaginary one, of the sort that we usually love in fantasy and science fiction – this time based around the imagined space of a host of famous films from the 30s through the present! The book has a wonderful look – vivid 3D ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Fantagraphics, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 35.00
An amazing collection of 40s and 50s jazz drawings by Gene Deitch – the complete anthology of his work for legendary jazz magazine Record Changer! Gene was an amazing artist and cartoonist, whose work helped solidify the legacies of some of the most famous cartoon characters in the American ... read more Book
Prestel (Germany), 2015. New Copy ... $15.99 60.00
A treasure trove of beautiful objects designed at mid-century – all creations of designer Peter Muller Munk – German by birth, and part of the wave of creative talent to come to America during wartime – which meant that we got to reap all the benefits of Peter's genius! Famous ... read more Book
Kant (Czech Republic), 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 45.00
New York drinking spots – all photographed in a really timeless way by Czech photographer Jiri Erml – a guy who clearly knows his way around a tavern! The images here are all from the early 90s, but they're also all black and white – and taken in a way that feels much older than ... read more Book
Omnibus (UK), 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 26.99
A beautifully-done book on the scene in one of Germany's hippest cities in the 70s – the Dusseldorf world of electronic music – home to Kraftwerk, Neu, DAF, and many others! The book was put together by Ridu Esch, bass player in Die Krupps – themselves a pretty cool group – ... read more Book
V&A (UK), 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 35.00
A fantastic look at the use of images in political activity on the British scene – a great legacy that runs from the early 20th century to the present – presented here a book of stunning full color images! Most of the work here focuses on the strong role that posters, billboards, and ... read more Book
Freddy Fresh, 2007. New Copy ... $14.99 39.99
If you liked the first volume of this essential book, you'll love this revised edition – because it's almost 3 times bigger, and stuffed with great new features! The book's a lifetime labor of love for Freddy Fresh – an extensive discography that's got to be the most definitive book on ... read more Book
Doubleday, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 26.95
The legendary Iceberg Slim has given us plenty of his own story over the years – but this book is the first to look at the man behind the man – writer Robert Beck, who started as a pimp and became a surprisingly successful author – as well as an underground figure who inspired a ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Yale University Press, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 30.00
Ralph J Gleason might just be one of the coolest cats to ever write about music – a key part of the San Francisco scene during the postwar years – where his talents helped illuminate both the worlds of art and music during the beat generation – then really helped shine a spotlight ... read more Book
Crown Archetype, 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 30.00
A huge book on the too-short, but very tremendous life and music of Otis Redding – a man who definitely lived an unfinished life, given that he died tragically in 1968 – but also had a chance to forever shape the sound of soul music in the space of less than a decade! The author takes ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Black Dog, 2012. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A great pull-apart book on the history of our fair city of Chicago – one that features 24 individual posters, all on heavy card stock – a variety of maps and vintage images of the Windy City from the 1800s to the present! Some are photographs, some are etchings – and they run ... read more Book
Chicago Review Press, 2000/2009. New Copy Book ... $4.99 14.95
The story of one of greatest soul singers of all time, and also one who is living a fascinating journey, to say the very least – the great Al Green! The Arkansas born, Memphis soul legend tells his story to music writer Davin Seay, from his years reinventing southern soul music through his ... read more Book
(2009 Chicago Review Press reprint.)
Little Brown, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 19.99
The story of one of the all-time greats – told by one of the all-time greats – the full tale of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, told by southern music giant Peter Guaralnick! Long before he rose to fame as the man who discovered Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips was already humming strong ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 19.95
A fascinating look at the world of Mexican music in the 20th Century – put together in collaboration with Arhoolie Records, the label that's done plenty to reissue the music over the years! The book begins with the huge archive of recordings by the label's founder, Chris Strachwitz – ... read more Book
Da Capo, 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 15.99
The life story of Buddy Guy – one of the the key blues figures to come out of our Windy City home! David Ritz helps shape the story, but the book is definitely in Buddy's own words – which vividly paint a picture of both the Chicago scene, and the growing global world that began to ... read more Book
Canongate (UK), 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 32.00
A mighty tribute to the legendary Jann Wenner – a humble editor by trade, but one who forever shaped the world of rock music and journalism with his magazine Rolling Stone! Wenner came along at just the right time to be able to provide just the right platform for a new sort of writer, and ... read more Book
Rittor (Japan), 2017. New Copy ... $18.99
A beautiful book on the decades of recorded output from one of our favorite composers ever – the legendary Michel Legrand – an artist known to most folks for his famous soundtracks of the 60s and 70s – but also a jazz musician, singer, and even a very groovy instrumental arranger! ... read more Book
Faber & Faber (UK), 2015. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
The full story of Sandy Denny – one of the most important female voices to rise from the British scene at the end of the 60s – and a singer who left this planet all too soon! Author Mich Houghton previously gave us a fantastic look at Elektra Records, and this time around his writing ... read more Book
Feral House, 2019. New Copy ... $16.99 22.95
A really amazing look at the secret art and language of gang culture in Chicago – the most detailed book we've ever seen to examine the words on the street during the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Chicago had a very special sort of language to communicate gang activity and culture during the heyday of ... read more Book
Almighty & Insane Books, 2018. New Copy ... $25.99 30.00
An Almighty & Insane book that goes a little further back to the old school street gang era – presenting vintage business cards from Chicago gang members from as far back as the 60s and through the 70s – a means of street communication from the days before modern technology we've ... read more Book
Equinox (UK), 2018. New Copy ... $24.99 29.99
The story of Mark Murphy – one of our favorite jazz singers of all time – written by Peter Jones, also a jazz singer himself! Jones is London-based, and as such, does a really great job of capturing the ongoing enthusiasm and excitement about Murphy's career that was always a big part ... read more Book
Hat & Beard, 2019. New Copy ... $52.99 60.00
A beautiful complement to the groundbreaking Big Ears music festival in Knoxville – an annual event that keeps on pushing the boundaries of listening, with a challenging roster of sonic activity that just keeps on getting better and better over the years! In the introduction, Ben Ratliff ... read more Book
(Also includes a download card – to download performances from the festival over the years!)
Back Beat, 2008. New Copy ... $5.99 16.99
The heady life and even hipper music of Sly Stone – told here by an author who managed to get Stone's participation on the project! The book focuses most strongly on Sly's rise to fame and key late 60s/early 70s years – a time when his records not only changed the face of soul music, ... read more Book
Space Shower (Japan), 2019. New Copy ... $32.99
A very cool book on rare funky records – one done in a style that's similar to some of the Japanese label discographies on the market, but which has a very special focus! This book features a well-selected array of funk, soul, and jazz records with an emphasis on the classic years of the 60s ... read more Book
Vocalion (UK), 2018. New Copy ... $32.99 33.99
Maybe the best book we've ever seen on the secret world of sound library music – those non-commercial recordings that are made away from the public, then lent out for later use in radio, film, and TV! Over the years, crate-diggers have brought a new sort of appreciation to sound library ... read more Book
Almighty & Insane Books, 2018. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
Chicago house music was underground right from the start – mostly hosted in secret urban spaces, long before the nightclubs were willing to take a chance on the revolutionary new music! As such, street-level communication was the way that most folks found out about the DJs and events tied to ... read more Book
(Down to last copies of this printing – and we managed to get ahold of just a few more. Get it before it's gone!)
Reel Art, 2013. New Copy ... $2.99 29.95
Michael Caine in the 60s – probably his greatest decade on film (although to us, they're all pretty great) – a period that gave us classic Caine moments in movies that include Alfie, Ipcress File, The Italian Job, and Billion Dollar Brain! Those films, and others, are each laid out ... read more Book
Dey St, 2014. New Copy ... $4.99 14.99
MC Buddah Monk was a childhood friend of Ol Dirty Bastard, and spent a fair bit of time right alongside him during the glory days of the Wu-Tang Clan – so he's got a pretty great perspective of Dirty's life and music – even though his story is somewhat personal overall! Writer Mickey ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Museum Wiesbaden —
Robert Indiana – The American Painter Of Signs (hardcover) ... Book Museum Kurhaus (Germany), 2008. New Copy ... $6.99 50.00
A beautiful look at the artwork of Robert Indiana – with a special focus on the kind of graphic, sign-style paintings that are his best known work! The heavy book was done in conjuction with a German exhibition on Indiana's work, and features notes in English and German – with a large ... read more Book
Blurb/Etc, 2018. New Copy ... $4.99
A beautiful little DIY black & white photography book by Ramon Norwood, aka Radius Etc, the multi-talented Chicago abstract hip hop producer, beatmaker and artist! We don't fancy ourselves art critics here at Dusty Groove, but we know Radius's sound, and for us it's pretty nice to see how his ... read more Book
Prestel, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 60.00
An amazing testament to the continuing genius of Yoko Ono – a beautiful monograph from a career's worth of work – filled with images that will have you thinking of Yoko as way more than just the wife of a famous Beatle! The book goes back to some of Ono's earliest years – with ... read more Book
Gingko Press, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 24.95
Think you know hip hop records? Think again – because if you only know the commercially released and vocal versions of the material, then you only know half the story – because among true collectors, the instrumental wax can be even more in-demand! This book opens up that secret world ... read more Book
(Includes bonus CD mixed by DJ Spair!)
Roaring Book Press, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 22.99
Not the highway journey you might expect from the title – but a history of the rise and music of Motown in the 60s – served up with lots of vintage photos along the way! The book is a mix of text and image – and may not be the deepest book you'll ever read on the legendary record ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Indiana University Press, 2012. New Copy ... $6.99 80.00
A mighty deep look at the sound of highlife music in west Africa – one that not only deals with the sounds of the style, but also looks at the larger context of change in Ghana – especially as the nation's cities were on the rise in the postwar years! The book is incredibly well-researc ... read more Book
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 26.00
One of the greatest contemporary writers on music – pondering the changing ways we listen to songs in a digital world of unlimited access! Ben Ratliff has been opening up our ears for over 20 years – thanks to his books, and his work in the New York Times – but here, he calls ... read more Book
Mike Reed, ed —
City Was Yellow – Chicago Jazz & Improvised Music 1980-2010 ... Book Mike Reed, 2019. New Copy ... $28.99 35.00
A beautiful book on the Chicago jazz scene, and the things that make it really special – not the Windy City world of years back – when Ramsey Lewis and other big names were dominating things – but Chicago in more recent years, when the city has been a non-stop hotbed of continuous ... read more Book
Liveright, 2015. New Copy ... $8.99 27.95
A hefty book on the great Otis Redding – one of the best soul singers of all time, even though he left this planet all too soon! Redding's career on record was less than a decade long, but marked by a huge amount of work – not just time in the studio, with the legendary Stax Records ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Tate (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $4.99 27.50
A lovely look at the groundbreaking work of Ed Ruscha – put together for a huge exhibition of his art at the Tate Museum in London, with great focus on some of the coolest themes in his work! The book's chapters each focus in on a period or style – and include "Romance With ... read more Book
Tortoise Books, 2019. New Copy ... $25.99 29.99
A beautiful little book from one of the more inspired creative talents on the Chicago scene – writer/artist Dmitry Samarov, who's always got a talent for getting to the heart of the city – and for being very open about what matters, and why! This book is Dmitry's love letter to the ... read more Book
(Limited edition first pressing!)
Prestel, 2011. New Copy ... $4.99 60.00
A pretty amazing survey of the Cali art scene of the late 70s – served up here in a book that's half essay, half images – with work from dozens of important artists who include Edward Ruscha, Jim Melchert, Charles Gaines, Joe Goode, Patrick Hogan, The Kipper Kids, Hal Fischer, Judy ... read more Book
Cicada, 2017. New Copy ... $4.99 16.95
An unusual little book – one that's partly an instruction guide, but also a great look at the power of posters in the 20th century – filled with historical examples that are used alongside the oversized pages on instruction! The text within is relatively loose and open – ... read more Book
Gary Simons —
Return Of Super Scratch – Lee Scratch Perry 1969 to 2019 (hardcover) ... Book Gary Simons/P & C Secret History Books, 2019. New Copy ... $16.99
A beautiful book on the recorded legacy of Lee Scratch Perry – one that builds on a previous discography by the author, but which is much more vivid overall! The hardcover book is in full color throughout – and offers up dozens of images of Lee Perry recordings – rare albums, ... read more Book
University Of Chicago, 2017. New Copy ... $26.99 32.00
A much-needed look at the genius of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – one of the coolest, most compelling groups to emerge in the great wave of avant jazz in the late 60s – and one who continued to give the world a lifetime legacy of groundbreaking music! There's been plenty written on the ... read more Book
Indiana University Press, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 25.00
That's "Dr Billy Taylor" to you – although we've always known him as just plain Billy Taylor, from a run of great jazz records from the postwar years onward – part of a fantastic musical legacy that's made Taylor one of the most active talents of his generation! Billy started ... read more Book
Center For American Places, 2005. New Copy ... $6.99 45.00
If you've ever visited our fair city, you'll know that it lies alongside the shores of Lake Michigan – a massive freshwater body of water that's more like an inland sea – and which forever shapes the sky, light, and weather of Chicago! The lake is always changing – in color, tone ... read more Book
HoZac, 2018. New Copy ... $35.99 39.99
Chris Bell is one of the great mysterious figures in 70s underground rock – a key part of Big Star during that group's short run, a solo artist who produced some amazing music that was years ahead of its time, and a tragic figure who was taken from our planet all too soon! Like Gram Parsons, ... read more Book
(Limited to 500 copies!)
Backbeat Books, 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 29.99
Billy Vera's had a hell of a career in the music business – early years as both a performer and songwriter, then work behind the scenes as a producer and historian, a return to performing in the limelight – and lots of other surprising stops along the way! The book is told from Vera's ... read more Book
Hatje Cantz (Germany), 2015. New Copy ... $1.99 45.00
A beautiful look at a near-lost legacy from the Cold War years – the cultural embassy named Amerika Haus – first built in Berlin during the immediate post-war years, then an even more important outpost once the wall went up! The space itself was a work of art – strongly in the ... read more Book
Oxford University Press, 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 24.95
A detailed look at the "dozens" that long-running African American tradition of trading insults and witticisms – a mode that's influenced music from the blues years onward, with an especially important contribution to the development of hip hop in the contemporary scene! We feared ... read more Book
Verso, 2013. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
An incredibly deep book on the life and music of Derek Bailey – the British guitarist who really helped push the sound of free improvisation forward in the 60s and 70s, then continued with a legacy of creative music for decades more! Ben Watson knocks it out of the park with this one – ... read more Book
Hachette, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 28.00
Well, maybe the story's not totally "untold" – but Ben Westhoff paints a picture that's a lot more detailed than most, and with a good sense of historical perspective – past the hype and the grudges, with a good eye towards clarifying some of the trickier issues! Westhoff ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Simon & Schuster, 2018. New Copy ... $6.99 17.00
An overdue look at the rich African-American cultural heritage of Pittsburgh – the city that gave the world jazz musicians Erroll Garner, Billy Strayhorn, and Mary Lou Williams; playwright August Wilson; two great Negro League baseball teams; and the important black paper The Pittsburgh ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Amberley, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 28.50
A beautiful picture book on the cinematic legacy of Frank Sinatra – one that's full of color images, movie stills, and lots lots more – with just a bit of supporting text from the author, as well as family members Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra Jr! The main appeal of the book is its ... read more Book
Columbia College Chicago, 2004. New Copy ... $4.99 40.00
We spent a big part of our lives driving up and the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago – and we still do now, as we circle the city looking for records, books, and food – given that the roadway is the main gateway to the city's south side! So maybe we're a bit biased, but we love this book ... read more Book
Lloyd Ziff —
Los Angeles – Photographs 1967 to 2015 (hardcover) ... Book KMW, 2016. New Copy ... $8.99 50.00
Los Angeles looks completely wonderful here – represented in images that really get at the diverse landscapes in the city, and partly at the vibrant community within! These photographs are maybe more open and spacious than the images that Lloyd Ziff shot in New York city at the same time ... read more Book
Lloyd Ziff —
New York – Photographs 1965 to 2015 (hardcover) ... Book KMW, 2016. New Copy ... $8.99 50.00
Lloyd Ziff has a great eye for the city of New York – one that's presented here in dozens of photographs from the late 60s onward, all offering up a vision for the city that's surprising unified over the decade! At some points, Ziff is a "moment" photographer – capturing a ... read more Book
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