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 – 48 of 48)
Poeira Zine (Brazil), 2021. New Copy ... $34.99 39.00
Author Bento Araujo has given us previous examinations of crucial Brazilian records in the 60s and 70s – and this important third volume shows just how strongly the spirit of experimentation continued well into the 21st Century – as the CD era opened up new frontiers for sonic ... read more Book
University Of Washington, 2011. New Copy ... $5.99 26.95
After the big grunge years, we had a habit of never touching any music book with Seattle in the title – but this one's different, and really does an amazing job of getting at the city's lost musical legacy! The book goes back – way way back – and looks at the musical communities ... read more Book
IDW Publishing, 2017. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A beautiful book of graphic imagination – a book that features 60s-styled ads for toys that never existed – but which take us back to the glory days of Matchbox, Big Daddy Roth, and Aurora Monster Models! The artwork is all by Marty Bauman – who would have made a heck of a toy ... read more Book
(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
St Martins, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 34.99
That's quite a cover photo on the book – and the interweaving of key talents in the image really gets at the style of the narrative within! Author Steven Blush delivers a decidedly one-sided document of the New York scene from the late 60s onward – a picture of countless creative ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Duke University Press, 2021. New Copy ... $20.99 29.95
A huge book on the equally-huge creative legacy of bassist William Parker – a musician who first arose in the loft jazz scene in New York during the 70s, but who's gone on to be one of its greatest surviving players, and one who's transformed the inspirations of that world into so many ... read more Book
Kitchen 93, 2012. New Copy ... $12.99 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
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
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!)
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
University Of Chicago, 2016. New Copy ... $11.99 15.00
A much-needed book for the open-minded listener – a well-written volume from jazz critic John Corbett – and one that's bound to widen your ears to a whole new realm of listening! The book's pocket-sized – maybe so that you can sneak it into a club when visiting a free jazz ... read more Book
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
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
Pantheon, 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 40.00
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.)
Powerhouse Books, 2013. New Copy ... $12.99 75.00
A massive book of beautiful photographs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s – all done by photographer Ormond Gigli, who worked heavily for Life, Time, and other publications at the time! The book is huge – almost like one of those large Taschen books – and each page presents a stunning ... read more Book
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
Bloomsbury, 2018. New Copy ... $6.99 28.00
One of the best writers on Memphis gives us a journey through his musical hometown – portrayed through chapters that focus on some of the city's most legendary figures – including James Carr, Sam Phillips, Jim Dickenson, Robert Johnson, Charlie Feathers, Jeff Buckley, Tav Falco, Bobby ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
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
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.)
Duke, 2013. New Copy ... $5.99 26.95
The future of jazz is now, even if it's in the past – as the editors here bring together a selection of essays that document the forward-thinking movements in jazz from the mid 60s onwards – some of which are only getting full appreciation all these many years later! There's a nice ... read more Book
Farzaneh Hemmasi —
Tehrangeles Dreaming – Intimacy & Imagination In Southern California's Iranian Pop Music ... Book Duke University Press, 2020. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
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
Lucky Kind, 2021. New Copy ... $13.99 14.99
A small book of notes from author Dave Hoekstra – designed to accompany the documentary of the same name, and like that film – a volume to tell the overlooked tale of this lost center of Midwestern music! The 42 page book is less of an historical tome, than added notes for the film ... 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
Lili Kobielski —
I Refuse For The Devil To Take My Soul – Inside Cook County Jail (hardcover) ... Book Powerhouse Books, 2018. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Here's a book that will immediately wipe away any Orange Is The New Black fantasies you might have about prison – as the heavy volume is filled with images from the Cook County jail, located in our fair city of Chicago – presented here with an unwavering eye, in a series of portraits, ... read more Book
Vocalion (UK), 2018. New Copy ... $34.99
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, 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
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!)
Ele-King (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $32.99
An unusual Japanese book on the music of the genius German group Can – one that's half history, half discography – including a fair bit of listings for later projects and related works by members of the group! If you can't read Japanese, there's not much for you in the first half of ... read more Book
Ele-King (Japan), 2020. New Copy ... $36.99
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
Powerhouse Books, 2008. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
The cover looks more punk rock than hip hop, but the book's a really fantastic look at the Cypher – a key move in the freestyle dance world of hip hop – taken places here that are way more than early 80s images of b boys in the streets! The photography of Charles Peterson is in black ... read more Book
Sun Ra —
Extensions Out – Four Poetry Books 1957 to 1972 ... Book Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2021. New Copy ... $42.99 50.00
An incredible package – one that brings together four rare publications by Sun Ra – printed words that are every bit as groundbreaking as his music – and which together represent the farther-flung corners of his vast cultural enterprise! The set represents each of the texts in ... read more Book
Mike Reed, ed —
City Was Yellow – Chicago Jazz & Improvised Music 1980-2010 ... Book Mike Reed, 2019. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
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
(Please Note – these copies have some slight shelf wear.)
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 ... Just Sold Out!
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
Indiana University Press, 2011. New Copy ... $4.99 40.00
A beautiful portrait of one of the most important jazz clubs on the west coast scene of the 70s – the legendary Keystone Korner, a name you might recognize from the dozens of great albums that were recorded at the venue! The book has a very cool approach – in that it lets the many ... read more Book
City Files, 2015. New Copy ... $8.99 45.00
A beautiful combination of words and image – as the poetry of Patricia Smith is combined with vintage 70s photographs by Michael Abramson – the same sort of material that was featured in the Light On The Southside book/album from the Numero Group! This presentation is quite different ... read more Book
Powerhouse Books, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 40.00
The title's no lie, as the book is exactly what is promised – a surprisingly cool photo book that documents the laundromats of New York City – conveniently divided up into different chapters for each borough, with the real address of each location as well! Every image has the same ... read more Book
Powerhouse Books, 2016. New Copy ... $5.99 20.00
A strange little book that is part prose, part photography – and which recalls the spirit of some of the beat-era writers who would talk about life on the seedier side of the streets – like Hubert Selby or John Rechy! Scot Sothern combines creative activity with his own sexual desire, ... read more Book
WW Norton, 2013. New Copy ... $4.99 27.95
Not the first book on the groundbreaking comedy of the National Lampoon – but a very detailed document of the fantastic story of the magazine – a publication that not only shaped our sensibilities in the 70s, but also had a pretty big impact on radio, recording, and film as well! The ... read more Book
Paul Steinbeck —
Message To Our Folks – The Art Ensemble of Chicago ... Book University Of Chicago, 2017. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
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
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
Michael Tisserand —
Krazy – George Herriman, A Life In Black & White (hardcover) ... Book Harper, 2016. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
There have been a number of art books over the years about George Herriman – groundbreaking cartoonist and animator, and the creator of Krazy Kat – but this may be the first really well-done historical look at his live and creations – presented in a beautiful format that still ... read more Book
(Small remainder mark on spine.)
Sinecure, 2013. New Copy ... $42.99 59.98
40 years back, we never would have used the words "Houston" and "rap" in the same sentence, much less in the title of a book – but the city's had a surprisingly strong legacy in the world of hip hop – and has become every bit the southern powerhouse as Atlanta – ... read more Book
(Second edition – with 32 new pages of text and photos, and a northside/southside set of maps, plus a timeline of the scene too!)
Jake Yunza (editior) —
Fun – The Social Practice Of Nightlife In NYC ... Book Powerhouse Books, 2013. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A really striking book on the world of nightlife in New York – one that's put together in a way that's almost as vivid as the experience itself! The volume is half art book, half essays – and starts with a selection of writings by Michael Musto, Claire Bishop, Michael Alig, Genesis P ... read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2014. New Copy ... $8.99 49.95
Images of the Caribbean in many styles – from the striking color image on the front, to vintage black and white shots throughout the book – all at a level that really illuminates the criss-crossing cultures of the island scene! The book's got a wonderfully sharp sensibility – as ... read more Book
(Items 1 – 48 of 48)
