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)
Gestalten (Germany), 2013. New Copy ... $9.99 39.95
A very cool project from the Red Bull Music Academy – a surprisingly strong force in recent years for bringing together a range of different musical strands! The book features pairings of two different artists or musicians – each talking with the other about their music, the process of ... read more Book
Shinko Music (Japan), 2005. New Copy ... $24.99
An excellent dig through the world of rare samba records from Brazil – a Japanese book that's put together in the same style as some of the boss and jazz discographies from that scene! The mission here is simple and clear – a way of presenting key samba records and rare gems – ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2011. New Copy Book ... $5.99 24.95
The best (truly – they got this book right) of Roctober gets a classy rock 'n' soul book compilation from Duke University Press – an incredible collection of interviews that were featured over the years in the great DIY magazine over the years! Interviews with musical legends who ... read more Book
Laurence King (UK), 2016. New Copy ... $9.99 29.95
Fantastic film posters from the legendary Saul Bass – a book that features each image on oversized pages – each of which is heavy cardboard, so that the whole thing's like a special folio of 20 different posters! You might know the image on the cover – Bass' famous poster for The ... read more Book
Chicago Review Press, 2012. New Copy ... $8.99 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
Taschen, 2017. New Copy ... $24.99 39.99
The rowdy road antics of the legendary Fab Four – captured here in a wealth of candid shots during their last two years of global touring – and presented here in glorious black and white! Photographer Harry Benson had unfettered access to the group during these years – and the ... 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.)
Harper (UK), 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 18.00
Lou Reed gave us some mighty fascinating music over his many years of recording – and the man himself also led an equally fascinating life – one that's covered here in very great detail, in a hefty biography that begins with Reed's troubled life as a child, to his early years moving ... read more Book
Fab (UK), 2015. New Copy ... $10.99 29.95
A beautiful document of the golden years of adult cinema – a book that not only features dozens of vintage posters from the 70s, but also offers up a surprising amount of information as well! The package has a great balance – plenty of history and background on feature-length erotic ... read more Book
Louisiana State University, 2013. New Copy ... $8.99 45.95
A detailed look at one of the most compelling strands of the legendary field recordings of Alan Lomax – his 1934 foray into the rich musical culture of Southern Louisiana! Although some of the Lomax recordings have been brought out and examined under the spotlight in just about every way ... read more Book
Sterling, 2010. New Copy ... $10.99 14.99
Somebody's finally gone out and written a book about one subject we can really get behind – the Record Store – and not only that, they've done a beautiful job with the entire package too! The book takes a look at the importance of the record store – not just historically, but ... read more Book
Yale University Press, 2014. New Copy ... $12.99 65.00
A heady look at the life and work of Nam June Paik – the man who virtually invented video art at the end of the 60s, and went on to work in a range of other amazing media too! The core of the book features images from a large retrospective of Paik's career – stills from videos, ... read more Book
Bolden, 2015. New Copy ... $11.99 35.00
A beautiful tribute to one of the greatest composers of the 20th Century – Duke Ellington's longtime musical partner, the mighty Billy Strayhorn! The book presents Billy's life and music in a really great format – using songs as sidebars amidst the larger text – which is then ... read more Book
Sanctuary (UK), 1998. New Copy Book ... $2.99 12.95
One of the few English language looks we've ever seen at the music of Serge Gainsbourg – a well-penned biography that covers all of his classic years in a fair bit of detail! Author Alan Clayson does a good job of paying as much attention to the music as he does to Serge's celebrity – ... 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.)
University Of Texas Press, 2017. New Copy ... $27.99 45.00
Fantastic photographs from B+ – an artist you might know for his important work in Wax Poetics, or his excellent album cover material – a creative talent who's grown tremendously over the years – and who's finally given his due in this beautiful book! The package is small, but ... 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.)
Boo Hooray, 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 39.98
A sweet little tour book commemorating DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist's Renegades Of Rhythm tour – and one that features a wealth of rare images from the early days of hip hop – of old gig flyers, records, drawings, acetates, and more! The most incredible fact about the tour itself, is that ... read more Book
(Limited to 2500 copies!)
Bloomsbury, 2015. New Copy ... $5.99 29.95
For most of the early years of cinema, soundtracks were dominated by orchestrations that were composed for the movies – or by publisher catalog tunes that were packaged for the films. But as the rock years approached, film scoring took on a whole different aspect – as performers were ... read more Book
V&A (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $4.99 19.95
A mostly visual story of The Supremes – one that has just a bit of text, and lots and lots of vintage images – from rare photos to album covers, to lots of cool shots from performances and TV appearances! The book is beautiful – as vivid as the music of the famous Motown trio ... read more Book
Abrams, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 24.95
A killer book by mystery writer James Ellroy – one that hits a "true crime" mode by combining Ellroy's words with vintage crime photos from 1953 – all to show a very gritty side of postwar LA! The book is beautiful – and offers Wee Gee-like photos of crime scenes, mixed ... read more Book
Sterling, 2017. New Copy ... $18.99 24.95
Ever think about what makes a great record so great? It's partly the music, partly the production – but it's also often the overall presentation too – the way the whole thing comes together and feels in your hands, or the way it looks when it's next to the turntable – or stands ... read more Book
Yale University Press, 2015. New Copy ... $16.99 35.00
Coney Island is a hell of a place – a refuge for New Yorkers for over 100 years, and still pretty amazing today – with a surprisingly strong legacy that also includes the park's influence on more serious artists over the decades, a legacy that's presented beautifully in this oversize ... read more Book
New York Review Of Books, 1959/1970. New Copy ... $4.99 16.95
Two novels from Mavis Gallant – the Canadian writer who spent most of her important years in Paris, from which she sent countless short pieces to the New Yorker! Fairly Good Time is one of the longest works from Gallant's Paris years – the story of a Canadian widow in the city, ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Temple, 2006. New Copy ... $6.99 30.95
A very detailed look at Arsenio Rodriguez – the Cuban legend who was a key part of the development of Latin music in both Havana and New York! The volume is quite well-researched, and looks at Arsenio with a lot more information than we've ever seen – in chapters that almost feel like ... 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.)
Hal Leonard, 2014. New Copy ... $4.99 18.99
A pretty deep look at one of the more important jazz stylists of mid-century – even if he wasn't always given his due! The flute had been used in jazz a bit before Herbie Mann came around, but the musician really helped push the instrument strongly forward – first in bop and chamber ... read more Book
Monacelli, 2012. New Copy ... $9.99 65.00
An incredible look at the explosion of event-based art on the New York scene at the end of the 50s – the emergence of the "happening" – a combination of performance, installation, music, theater, and other media – depending on the situation – and a strong precursor ... read more Book
(Please Note – these copies are slightly shop worn.)
New York Review Of Books, 1928. New Copy ... $2.99 16.95
A legendary German novel from the 20s – originally published anonymously, and a mix of fact and fiction from writer Hans Herbert Grimm! Main character Schlump has a cynical eye towards the happenings of WWI – part of the moment, and tied up in it – but also always working his own ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Rittor (Japan), 2011. New Copy ... $34.99
A totally great book for 7" collectors – especially if you dig unusual picture sleeves! The book was put together by DJ Muro – an artist we've come to love for his work on mixes and compilations, but who's also well-known for his massive record collection, too – one that's ... read more Book
Duke University Press, 2018. New Copy ... $13.99 19.99
A beautiful book-length prose poem from David Grubbs – an artist that some know as a musician, some as a singer, and some as a writer for his previous essential volume on improvised music! The book is very narrative – and tells this dream-like story of a musician faced with the need to ... 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
Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 27.00
Author David Hajdu has given us some great books on Bob Dylan and Billy Strayhorn – and written some excellent work on comics, too – and here, he takes on the development of pop music in the 20th Century, with a nicely wide-ranging ear that follows changes from early blues, through the ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Rittor (Japan), 2017. New Copy ... $32.99
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
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.)
Algonquin Books Of Chapel Hill, 2013. New Copy ... $8.99 25.95
A surprisingly insightful Richard Pryor biography from interesting pair of biographers – brothrers David and Joe Henry! David Henry is a screenwriter, his brother Joe Henry is from the music world – known for his own artful singer-songwriter work, and especially his production work, ... read more Book
(Small remainder mark on spine.)
David Hollander —
Unusual Sounds – The Hidden History Of Library Music ... Book Anthology Editions, 2018. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
A fantastic look at the European sound library scene of the 60s and 70s – one that goes way past some of the simpler cover art books that have been around over the years – to offer up details on individual labels, histories of the music, and a great look at key musicians as well! Don't ... read more Book
Faber & Faber (UK), 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 22.95
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
PS Artbooks (UK), 1952/1953. New Copy ... $9.99 47.99
The title's a great one for this creepy horror comic of the 50s – as the stories have this stark, spooky feel that definitely helps you take a journey into fear! The publication was maybe a bit more low-budget than some of its contemporaries – but that also makes some of these stories ... read more Book
Fundacion Juan March (Spain), 2014. New Copy ... $26.99 78.00
A beautifully huge look at the Italian futurist movement – one that not only features fantastic images of paintings and other artwork, but also some more commercial material, posters, publications, and other elements of the complete futurist lifestyle – all presented in brilliant color ... read more Book
Pantheon, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 29.95
One of the most beautiful books we've ever seen from cartoonist Ben Katchor – an artist who's been transforming our view of the city for the past few decades! The territory here is familiar for Ben – shorter strips that look at lost corners of the urban environment, especially ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Scribner, 2014. New Copy ... $4.99 16.00
Maybe the best-ever look at the legendary Mavis Staples – and the Staple Singers as well – a detailed, richly-written book on the Staples legacy in both gospel and soul music – penned by Chicago journalist Greg Kot! Kot wrote the book with full support from Mavis – who ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Delmonico, 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 49.95
A beautiful document of the genius of Robert Indiana – an artist that most folks know for creating the LOVE logo in the 60s – but one whose career has so much more to offer! Indiana was a contemporary of Andy Warhol – and like Warhol, could effortlessly skirt the worlds of art ... read more Book
WW Norton, 2015. New Copy ... $4.99 26.95
A very well-written account of one of the most important musical streets in America – and one that get way past all the tourist hype and trappings of contemporary Beale Street in Memphis today! Instead, the author really goes back – to some of the much earlier years of the city, and ... read more Book
WW Norton (UK), 2014. New Copy ... $4.99 25.95
The music of Leonard Cohen is often so personal, it feels like we know the man himself very intimately – but behind the songs, there's a lot more to Cohen's life and creative process – a good deal of which is presented in this book! Author Liel Leibovitz does a good job of getting past ... read more Book
Harper, 2015. New Copy ... $3.99 25.99
Some of the earliest work ever written by Elmore Leonard – a range of short stories from the 50s, some of which were even created while Leonard was working in the advertising business! The later Leonard style is definitely in effect here, but the stories are also shorter, more focused, and ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Soul Jazz (UK), 2008. New Copy ... $33.99 34.98
A beautiful book on the dancehall scene in Jamaica – one that's done in a different style than some of the other Soul Jazz books – which are often focused more on album cover art! This book's got a very different approach – and is more an art book with photos of the dancehall ... read more Book
It Books, 2012. New Copy ... $4.99 22.99
Louvin Brother Charlie tells the tale of his famous duo with brother Ira – a match that was almost a Cain and Abel of country music – given that Charlie and Ira Louvin sometimes sat at opposite moral poles on the spectrum! The story's as tragic as any of the best early songs by the ... read more Book
Touchstone, 2017. New Copy ... $6.99 29.99
The companion book to the PBS series American Epic – presented on paper at a level that's as visually pleasing as the program itself! The book is full of vintage images, record scans, and an amazing array of photos – documenting the rise of American musical legends in the early part of ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Anthology Editions, 2017. New Copy ... $42.99 60.00
A fantastic look at the expansive visual talents of Paul Major – an artist who let psychedelic music blow his mind in the years before he got his hands on harder stuff – beginning a legacy that stretched from the late 60s through years of complicated creations dedicated to the sounds of ... read more Book
Simon & Schuster, 2015. New Copy ... $6.99 32.50
Not just a book on Motown – despite the image of The Supremes on the cover – but a story of Detroit itself – told as a series of intersecting paths that include the famous soul music label, as well as all the manufacturers, cultures, communities, and political forces that were ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Backbeat Books, 2011. New Copy ... $6.99 24.99
Pat Martino tells his story – a wonderfully long run of jazz experience that starts in the heady days of the 60s soul jazz scene, moves into key psychedelic modes, suffers a bit of tragedy in later years, then springs wonderfully back more recently! Pat's got help from a co-writer on the ... read more Book
Houghton Mifflin, 2016. New Copy ... $6.99 32.00
We're ultra-proud to be Chicagoans – and one of the many things that makes is proud is The Chicago Defender – our city's famous African-American newspaper, easily one of the best and most important in a long legacy of progressive 20th Century publications! This very hefty book tells ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Princeton Architectural Press, 2007. New Copy ... $7.99 24.95
An incredible document of the legendary Mingering Mike – the self-styled 70s soul superstar who never recorded any music, but created a huge body of work on hand-drawn record sleeves and 45s! Mike's story has been told briefly before in Wax Poetics, but this book really gets to the full ... read more Book
P-Vine (Japan), 2014. New Copy ... $29.99
A very cool book – and way different than you might expect from the title – as the discography doesn't only focus on contemporary ambient albums, but instead traces a history of moody sounds from the late 50s onwards! The publication is one of the most interesting Japanese ... read more Book
Sterling, 2011. New Copy ... $6.99 27.95
A big beautiful book on the disco generation of the 70s – oversized, filled with color images, and broken into great little segments that serve up the period in sweet little slices! The book's a lot better than we might have guessed – thoughtfully put together, with a look at disco ... read more Book
MTV, 2008. New Copy ... $5.99 29.95
The history of American hardcore – served up in a huge batch of black and white photos, record covers, flyers, and more – spun out in a really beautiful book! The images are all nice and stark – concert shots, band performances, and more – all photos that really get at the ... read more Book
Blurb/Etc, 2018. New Copy ... $25.99
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
Ele-King (Japan), 2015. New Copy Book ... $29.99
A comprehensive guide to the club jazz sound of the past 25 years or so – that sweet blend of jazzy roots and contemporary rhythms that first sprung to life in London at the end of the 80s – then grew through dancefloors on the German, Italian, and Japanese scenes of the next decade ... read more Book
Soul Jazz (UK), 2009. New Copy ... $26.99 34.95
An incredible collection of revolutionary jazz album cover art from the 60s & 70s – bold, vivid and unforgettable art for bold, vivid and unforgettable jazz – compiled and edited by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker! It's a snapshot of an era in jazz music when cultural and ... read more Book
Scribner, 2014. New Copy ... $5.99 25.00
A fascinating look at the small-but-fervent world of the 78rpm collector – a musical underground that represents the first real step forward for vinyl culture (even though the format's not technically vinyl) – and which has remained surprisingly strong well into the 21st Century! ... read more Book
(The spine has a small remainder mark.)
Du Books (Japan), 2013. New Copy Book ... $26.99
A beautiful book on the legendary Prestige Records label – some of the hippest hardbop of the 50s, the coolest soul jazz of the 60s, and the funkiest grooves of the 70s! The book is similar to some of the Blue Note discographies we've stocked from Japan over the years – in that it ... read more Book
City Files, 2015. New Copy ... $11.99 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
Thomas Dunne, 2014. New Copy ... $6.99 27.99
Bernard Sumner's had a hell of a run in music – a founding member of both Joy Division and New Order, and an important force on the British music scene for decades – all of which makes for quite a story in this personal memoir! Amidst his bandmates, Sumner is sometimes the subtle one ... read more Book
(Spine has a small remainder mark.)
Viking, 2015. New Copy ... $3.99 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
Taschen, 2017. New Copy ... $46.99 59.99
The glory days of Marvel Comics – presented here in a stunning set of full color images from the vault! The book follows the Taschen treatment of DC Comics – and features page after page of legendary covers, pages, and panels – plus lots of other unusual images too – ... read more Book
Reaktion (UK), 2013. New Copy ... $6.99 25.00
That's Brazilian jive, instead of Brazilian music – as the author here shows just how much the larger Brazilian culture helps shape the sound of it's songs – a wonderful interplay between urban and rural, modern and ancient, popular and intellectual – forces that have come ... read more Book
PS Artbooks (UK), 1952/1953. New Copy ... $9.99 47.99
Weird and terror come together in this wonderful horror comic from the early 50s – the kind of pre-code publication that was feared by parents, and was the stuff of nightmares for many kids in the postwar generation! Weird Terror is awash in all the best stuff we love from this period of ... read more Book
Du Books (Japan), 2014. New Copy ... $28.99
A very cool book on Brazilian music – one that serves up a well-chosen array of very hip records, all laid out in decade-by-decade chapters – along with color images of the album cover art, label, date, and style information in regular text – and a review of the record in Japanese! ... read more Book
Taschen, 2015. New Copy ... $15.99 19.99
One of the funkiest coffee table books you'll ever hope to own – a massive collection of rare funk and soul album covers – beautifully put together, and with a wealth of information too! The set's way more than just a stash of cool-looking images – as the folks at Taschen have ... read more Book
Anthology Editions, 2016. New Copy ... $28.99 40.00
A fantastic book on books about UFOs – one that's put together with all the verve and vibrant imagery you'd expect from the cover! Jack Womack has been collecting materials on UFOs for decades – and this lavish, full-color book provides an amazing overview of publications from the ... read more Book
Rittor (Japan), 2015. New Copy ... $33.99
One of the most essential discographies we've ever seen – mostly because we own almost none of the records in the book, which makes it an essential volume to use for digging in the crates! This time around, the folks at Rittor – who've given us other great record books over the years ... read more Book
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