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 – 54 of 54)
Random House, 2007. New Copy ... $4.99 17.00
Our fair city of Chicago has always been a pretty sleazy place – but back at the start of the 20th century, there was a higher kind of sex trade going on – one that featured high class houses of ill-reputed, and well-educated hookers – which led to a lot more crossing over between ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Chicago Review Press, 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 29.95
A stunning look at the great Mary Wells – one of Motown's first female acts of the 60s, and one of the decade's most important early soul figures as well! Mary's work on record is very well-known, but the story behind the music is completely different, and surprisingly dark at times – ... read more Book
Ezra Bookstein —
Smith Tapes 1969 to 1972 – Lost Interviews With Rock Stars & Icons ... Book Princeton Architectural Press, Late 60s/Early 70s/2015. New Copy ... $5.99 24.95
Not rare tapes by The Smiths – but a book of rare interviews conducted by journalist Howard Smith – an overlooked counterculture figure whose questions and commentary here go way past the usual fluff! The book features complete interviews conducted between 1966 and 1972 – key ... read more 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
Faber & Faber (UK), 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 29.95
You'll know Billy Bragg as a singer/songwriter, but he's also a surprisingly strong historian and author here – giving us a vivid look at the rise of skiffle bands on the UK scene at the end of the 50s! Skiffle was something that never played as strongly on our shores, but was inspired by ... read more Book
Kitchen 93, 2012. New Copy ... $11.99 49.95
Maybe the most amazing graffiti book you'll ever hope to own – an amazingly heavy, oversized volume that tells the tale of the birth of the format and its global spread – served up in dozens of articles brought together in the space of an imaginary newspaper! The pages are huge, and ... read more Book
Voyageur, 2016. New Copy ... $11.99 40.00
A hefty book on the short-lived New Barbarians – a rock and roll supergroup founded by guitarist Ron Wood – with members that include bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Joseph Modeliste of The Meters, saxophonist Bobby Keys, and the legendary Keith Richards! The book is filled with photos ... read more Book
Rob Chapman —
Psychedelia & Other Colours (hardcover) ... Book Faber & Faber (UK), 2015. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
An incredibly dense book on the psychedelic scene of the 60s – a huge volume that not only looks at an impressive array of music, but also the wider trippy culture, too – but all with a level of text that goes far beyond most of the thinner volumes on the period! Many of the chapter ... read more Book
Abrams Comic Arts, 2012. New Copy ... $12.99 40.00
We've been living with the comics of Daniel Clowes for so many years, we sometimes forget how great he is – so fortunately, we've got this wonderful book to remind us of his genius all over again! Clowes is incredible – a comic stylist who's not only drunk deep of the best modes of the ... read more Book
University Of Chicago, 2019. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
A tremendous achievement from music writer Aaron Cohen – a book that finally gets at the deeper, richer story of Chicago soul – the spirit of empowerment and pride that have always made us so honored to be part of the Windy City legacy! Cohen picks up where other soul writers have left ... read more Book
Shipwrecked, 2020. New Copy ... $20.99 29.99
Chris Connelly is a hell of a singer – a man with a god-like voice that we'd rank right up there next to David Bowie and Scott Walker – and we're sometimes so entranced by the sound of his voice that we actually forget to listen to the lyrics of his songs, which are equally great! This ... read more Book
(Initial copies signed by Chris Connelly himself!)
Hat & Beard, 2018. New Copy ... $34.99 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
Soberscove, 2020. New Copy ... $31.99 38.99
One of the most unique books we've ever gotten from John Corbett – an author who's given us some fantastic music writing over the years! This book is completely different – not written, but "salvaged" – as the contents are a lost manuscript from the early 30s – ... read more Book
John Corbett —
Vinyl Freak – Love Letters To A Dying Medium ... Book Duke University Press, 2017. New Copy ... $18.99 24.95
An incredible look at the format of vinyl – put together by a guy who's got one of the hippest record collections we've ever seen! John Corbett's been writing about music, art, and other formats for decades – but his real labor of love is vinyl records – a format he continued to ... read more Book
Harper Perennial, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 16.99
The story of Charlie Parker is often draped in hyperbole and exaggeration – which is why it's extra great that this biography is handled by Stanley Crouch – one of the few writers we could trust to get past the hype and really find a way to link Parker's life and music! As you might ... read more Book
(Spine has a remainder mark.)
Prestel (Germany), 2015. New Copy ... $8.99 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
Fantagraphics, 2015. New Copy ... $11.99 39.99
The continuing genius of Steve Ditko – served up here in a batch of obscure work for Charlton Comics at the end of the 50s – material that's hardly ever gotten any exposure outside of its initial release! Like the previous volume, the stories here are all shorter horror and sci fi ... read more Book
(Cover has some light wear, but books are in great shape otherwise.)
Fantagraphics, 2016. New Copy ... $9.99 39.99
The genius of Steve Ditko knows no bounds – and although the comic genius is best known for his later work on Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and countless other classics – his early material is also pretty darn amazing! This excellent volume collects a whole host of rare sci-fi stories ... read more Book
Abrams, 2014. New Copy ... $3.99 60.00
There's a man standing on the cover, but you might have to look close to see him – and that's part of the style of Liu Bolin – a Chinese artist who paints himself to blend in with his surroundings! The approach is pretty darn amazing – sometimes more successful than others, and ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2016. New Copy ... $4.99 26.59
A collection of essays on a great range of musical topics from Chuck Eddy – a writer whose work you might know from Creem or The Village Voice – and who covered a surprising amount of music in his decades in publication! The book brings together columns from a four decade stretch that ... read more Book
Fantagraphics, 2014. New Copy ... $8.99 34.99
Drew Friedman is a hell of a comics artist – one who's always admitted a great legacy to the legends of the past, which really comes through in the classic style of his draftsmanship! Drew's been amazing us with his images for many decades – and with this special project, he goes back ... read more Book
Will Friedwald —
Great Jazz & Pop Vocal Albums (hardcover) ... Book Pantheon, 2017. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
One of the greatest writers on singers presents his essential collection of albums from the 20th century – all served up with the kind of loving detail that's always made the prose of Will Friedwald so great! Will's written the book on Frank Sinatra – literally – and on Tony ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
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.)
University Of Pennsylvania, 2005. New Copy ... $4.99 24.95
Group soul harmony gets some great treatment here – in a well-done book that follows the music from the street corner to the airwaves – all with a thoughtful mixture of oral history and the larger issues of the time! Author Stuart Goosman focuses especially on harmony groups on the ... read more Book
Little Brown, 2018. New Copy ... $3.99 28.00
A detailed look at the moment when hip hop went from a sideline to a mainstream force in the music business – a time when producers became executives, major labels allowed smaller boutique imprints, and everybody started making a lot more money on the music! As you'd guess from the title, ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Black Cat, 2005. New Copy ... $4.99 16.00
The story of Guided By Voices – a group who labored in the American underground for quite some time before finding big fame – a story that makes the group's success far more interesting than most! The book details all the work and time that Robert Pollard put into getting the group ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2020. New Copy ... $15.99 21.95
Groundbreaking work from David Grubbs – a name you might know from his decades as a musician, singer, and improviser in a variety of settings – or from his more recent emergence as an author – heard from here in a book that unifies both sides of his creative personality! In some ... read more Book
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
Flatiron Books, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 19.99
Way more than just a simple book of record cover images – and instead a love letter to the sound and style of the disco generation – put together from classic album artwork, and augmented by thoughtful musings by the author! The book features full color reproductions of over 250 album ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Farzaneh Hemmasi —
Tehrangeles Dreaming – Intimacy & Imagination In Southern California's Iranian Pop Music ... Book Duke University Press, 2020. New Copy ... $18.99 25.95
A fascinating look at a very unique musical scene – Iranian music created in Los Angeles, a city that's home to the largest Iranian population outside of the homeland! Author Farzaneh Hemmasi spent years doing ethnographic fieldwork in the city – and presents a richly detailed portrait ... read more Book
Jacksons with Fred Bronson —
Jacksons Legacy – From The Family Archives – The 50th Anniversary Book (hardcover) ... Book Black Dog, 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 29.99
The story of Michael and The Jackson 5 – all presented here in an array of fantastic materials all pulled together from the family archives! The book is stunning – hefty, full color, and with page after page of really great material – images of records, live shows, special events ... read more Book
Abrams, 2012. New Copy ... $11.99 40.00
A lavish examination of the work of William Klein – an important postwar photographer who moved into the worlds of film and graphics in the 60s – and left an indelible imprint on both the scenes in New York and Paris! The book offers up Klein's work in a few different slices – ... read more Book
Komakusa —
Three Blind Mice – Complete Disc Guide (hardcover) ... Book Komakusa (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $34.99
The complete discography of the legendary Japanese jazz label Three Blind Mice – one of the most innovative imprints of the 70s! The book features a page for every single title issued by the label – with a black and white cover image, and details on all the players and other record ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2020. New Copy ... $18.99 25.95
A beautiful treatise on the lasting power of classic soul music – yet a book that also goes way beyond the simple readings and overdone cliches that are often attached to accounts of the music! Instead, author Emily J Lordi looks at not just the source recordings, but also the evolving ... read more Book
Almighty & Insane Books, 2020. New Copy ... $16.99 20.00
The secret history of Chicago house music – a side of the scene that's even more obscure than its many rare records or long-departed clubs! The book is a fantastic follow up to the first volume – and like that one, features rare flyers, posters, and ads for some of the underground ... read more Book
Aaron Lupton & Jeff Szpirglas —
Planet Wax – Sci-Fi/1984, 2020. New Copy ... $39.99
A fantastic book on a unique slice of soundtrack culture – the rise of the sci-fi soundtrack in the 60s and 70s, which also matched a real rise in new musical styles too! The book is filled with color images of vintage records, but is also way more than just an artwork book – as the ... read more Book
(Limited edition of 1000 – signed bookmark edition, with green vinyl 7" single with unused music from the Tobe Hooper film and more work by Christopher Young!)
Greil Marcus —
Real Life Rock – The Complete Top Ten Columns 1986 to 2014 ... Book Yale University Press, 2015. New Copy ... $5.99 20.00
Nearly 30 years of work from one of the best writers on rock and roll – served up here in a nearly-endless succession of columns all based around a single format – one that many other publications have copped over the years, but which Greil Marcus virtually invented at the Village Voice! ... read more Book
Blue Rider, 2016. New Copy ... $5.99 16.00
The founding member of The Hollywood Brats tells the tale of the greatest group that never made it – a quintet who supposedly inspired the British punk greats of the late 70s, but who were almost an British version of the New York Dolls in the earlier part of the decade! The title and jacket ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Kris Needs —
Suicide – Dream Baby Dream – A New York Story (hardcover) ... Book Omnibus, 2017. New Copy ... $5.99 30.00
A fantastically detailed story of the life and music of Suicide – a duo who gave the world just a small amount of music, but changed it forever with their work! Both Martin Rev and Alan Vega worked heavily with the author on the volume – which paints a very rich picture of the world ... read more Book
Kliph Nesteroff —
Comedians – Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, & The History Of American Comedy (hardcover) ... Book Grove Press, 2015. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A wonderfully wide look at the growth of American comedy in the 20th century – a book whose subject matter is definitely hinted at by the cover image! The author goes into great depth, and follows a fascinating path of the shifting venues for comedic expression – which also shift the ... read more Book
Mitsuru Ogawa —
Jazz Meets Europe – European Disc Guide ... Book Ele-King (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Here's a book that we wish we had way back when we started digging for rare jazz vinyl – as the whole thing is a fantastic guide to some of the coolest, most interesting European jazz rarities – presented here with full color images of the covers, and English listings of the labels, ... read more Book
Beacon, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 25.98
A well-written book, and one that's about way more than just the records hinted at in the cover – as music critic Rashod Ollison tells his tale of growing up in the south during the 80s, living with upheavals in his household, struggles with his own sexual identity, and other issues that ... read more Book
Benjamin Piekut —
Henry Cow – The World Is A Problem ... Book Duke University Press, 2019. New Copy ... $20.99 29.99
A fantastic look at the music of Henry Cow – that important British band of the 70s, and a key bridge between the worlds of art, experimentation, politics, and improvisation at the time! Henry Cow trafficked in ideas that were fairly intellectual, but the group had a way of bringing them ... read more Book
Daniel Rachel —
Art Of Noise – Conversations With Great Songwriters ... Book St Martins, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 22.99
The title's a bit misleading – as there's not really any noise going on here, and the main focus is on lyricism – given that the author spends his time interviewing a huge array of famous songwriters for this project! The book is very large, and features author Daniel Rachel ... read more 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
Philip Wilson Publishers (UK), 2009. New Copy ... $3.99 53.00
A really special selection of work from British artist David Harrison – a large volume that focuses mostly on his paintings of the early 21st Century – a time in his career when Harrison was creating these amazing paintings that were both representational and fantastic at the same time! ... read more Book
Little Brown, 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 50.00
A very unusual sort of diary from writer David Sedaris – but maybe that's what we'd expect, given that Sedaris has always been something of an unusual figure himself! The book does feature diary entries, often from moments when Sedaris was visiting a certain place – but there's also a ... read more Book
Numero, 2020. New Copy ... $16.99
That typo in the title is intentional – well, not entirely intentional, but reflected in the image on the front cover – which is one of hundreds inside this fantastic book – a really cool set of found tributes to the greatness of Madonna! The full color volume features sketches, ... read more Book
Gary Simons —
Yellow Magic Orchestra – An Introduction To YMO & Friends (hardcover) ... Book Gary Simons, 2020. New Copy ... $16.99 24.99
A pretty nice introduction to the new wave of Japanese music that emerged in the 70s – particularly the world of Yellow Magic Orchestra and Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as some of their key contemporaries on the scene! As with other books by author Gary Simons, the presentation is great – ... 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
John Szwed —
Billie Holiday – The Musician & The Myth (hardcover) ... Book Viking, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 28.95
John Szwed has given us pivotal books on Miles Davis and Sun Ra – and this time around, he's turning his eye to the life and music of Billie Holiday – offering up a very fresh vision of the oft-told tale of the singer and her career! As the title might imply, Szwed gets past the myth ... read more Book
John Szwed —
Space Is The Place – The Lives Of Sun Ra ... Book Duke University Press, 1997. New Copy ... $17.99 24.99
A wonderful biography of one of the most colorful and significant figures in modern music. There's no need for us to go into the impact Sun Ra's music has made in the realm of the sort of records our pages are filled with – in spite of the mainstream musical audience's ignorance of his vast ... read more Book
Fantagraphics, 2017. New Copy ... $8.99 49.99
A surprisingly beautiful book on the famous 60s radical Jerry Rubin – one that's not only the first-ever look at the man's life, politics, and influence – but one that's also presented in a lavishly visual style that really conveys the crossroads of art and ideas of which Rubin was a ... read more Book
Canongate, 2004. New Copy ... $5.99 16.00
Elvis Costello has given us his own detailed account of his life and music – but before that well-circulated volume was released, Grame Thomson did a pretty great job with this one – using his years of experience as a music journalist to plumb the depths of the man and his recordings! ... read more Book
(Items 1 – 54 of 54)
