Rock Books

Christopher Sandford unflinchingly explores the shocking drama that formed this troubled, tragic star. He presents a vivid insider's view of the life and death of a man who galvanised a generation...

This fascinating biography of Freddie Mercury which received outstanding acclaim from Queen and rock fans worldwide, has now been updated for reissue to coincide with the release of the film about...

From her Barbados childhood to her worldwide tours, from iconic fashion moments to private time with friends and family, the book showcases intimate photographs of her life as an artist, performer,...

A book of the year for the Times, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Guardian and the Daily Mail

'Charming . . . heartbreaking, sometimes both funny and unsettling, and always - from...

A book of the year for the Times, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Guardian and the Daily Mail

'Charming . . . heartbreaking, sometimes both funny and unsettling, and always - from...

INCLUDED IN TIME'S 100 MUST READ BOOKS OF 2025The concluding volume of Peter Guralnick's critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biographies'Guralnick knows the intricacies of this story more than anyone,...

STEP INTO THE SHIMMERING WORLD OF ARIANA GRANDE WITH THIS ULTIMATE INSIDER'S GUIDE.This is the complete, unfiltered story of Ariana Grande, exploring the songs, tours, acting roles and style of pop's...

The lyrics to the songs of the Beatles read like poetry. This book treats them as such, and illustrates each track artistically, paying careful attention to detail and high design standards. The...

Spanning nearly 50 years of albums, EPs, B-sides, and more, read the full story behind all of the songs that Prince ever released. Moving chronologically through his epic back catalogue, expert...

The Little Book of the Beatles is a superb book of quotations by, and about, the band that revolutionised popular music the world over. A perfect companion for Beatles fans everywhere, this...

PICTURING PRINCE sees the late icon's former art director, STEVE PARKE, revealing stunning intimate photographs of the singer from his time working at Paisley Park. At least half of the images in the...

The Little Book of Elvis Presley is a superb collection of quotations by and about the King: one of the most significant cultural icons of the twentieth century. A perfect companion for Elvis fans...

The life of rock’s most durable troubadour in his own words.Neil Young on Neil Young: Interviews and Encounters is a revealing anthology of Young’s most significant, fascinating, and entertaining...

THE DEFINITIVE RECORDING HISTORY OF SWEDISH SUPERSTARS, ABBA, TOLD ALBUM-BY-ALBUM AND SONG-BY-SONG.Filled with fascinating photography (some rarely seen) and sensational behind-the-scenes details...

A ROUGH TRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR'Jaw-dropping [and] intensely evocative' SUNDAY TIMES'Moon is a sublime writer who dips her pen in Nora Ephron's ink' OBSERVER'Gripping, hilarious and often mesmerising'...

Think you know how Jim Morrison died?Think you know who wrote all their hits?Think you know why Morrison fled to Paris, never to return?Well now you will with the definitive biography, Love Becomes a...

Eric Clapton is acknowledged to be rock's greatest virtuoso, the unrivalled master of its most essential tool, the solid-body electric guitar.Clapton transfigured three of the 1960s' most iconic...

Everyone from Sir Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page to Queens of the Stone Age now relishes the chance to share a stage with Dave Grohl and his legendary Foo Fighters. The question is: why? Musical...

AC/DC moved to Britain from Sydney in 1975, and soon set up a residency at London's Marquee Club. Their short hair (including the odd mullet), loud rock and attitude chimed well with the lingering...

From child prodigy to global superstar, Celine Dion's career has been nothing short of extraordinary. This charming book is a celebration of her dazzling journey - packed with fabulous facts,...

This thoroughly revised third edition of Allan F. Moore's ground-breaking book, now co-authored with Remy Martin, incorporates new material on rock music theory, style change and the hermeneutic...

The Roland x0x Series: A History of Early Roland Synthesizers and Drum Machines from SH-101 to TR-909 offers an authoritative but accessible investigation of how the design of these most influential...

This book critically examines two versions of the genre identified as pub rock as they evolved in the UK and Australia. Both developed in the communal spaces of pubs and both had their heyday in the...

While the growing field of scholarship on heavy metal music and its subcultures has produced excellent work on the sounds, scenes, and histories of heavy metal around the world, few works have...

Status Quo were one of the most successful, influential and innovative bands of the 1970s. During the first half of the decade, they wrote, recorded and performed a stream of inventive and highly...

Jack White Complete Lyrics and Selected Writings collects the artist's lyrics for Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, his solo recordings and collaborations. The book also features never before seen poems...

The first full-length history of the Shangri-Las, one of the most significant—and most misunderstood—pop groups of the 1960s.Sisters Mary and Betty Weiss, together with twins Mary Ann and Marguerite...

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF MADONNA'S WORK EVER.THE DEFINITIVE, UNTOLD RECORDING HISTORY OF MADONNA, TOLD ALBUM-BY-ALBUM AND SONG-BY-SONG.Explore the extraordinary artistry and vision of Madonna...

The ultimate collection of 100 legendary guitarsFrom the beginnings of the American guitar in the 19th century to the avant-garde Canadian creations of a few months ago, from folk to electric to...

A STUNNING NEW AND COMPLETELY REVISED EDITION OF THE FENDER BIBLE FOR 2026Leo Fender's guitars have arguably shaped modern music more than any other brand. This remarkable, fully updated tome...

'Meticulously researched... Every Swiftie will want this'-THE SUN'Every Taylor song explained... A cut above'-THE GUARDIANThe full story behind every single song Taylor Swift has ever released...

The world's biggest star squeezed down to a miniature pocket-size.Harry Styles is the hero we all deserve right now. And judging by the deafening noise he received on his sell-out world tour to...

Decades tend to crest halfway through, and 1995 was the year of the Nineties: peak Britpop (Oasis v Blur), peak YBA (Tracey Emin's tent), peak New Lad (when Nick Hornby published High Fidelity, when...

John Lennon was a rock star, a school clown, a writer, a wit, an iconoclast, a sometime peace activist and finally an eccentric millionaire. He was also a Beatle - his plain-speaking and impudent...

What was it like to be Elvis Presley? What did it feel like when impossible fame made him its prisoner? As the world's first rock star there was no one to tell him what to expect, no one with whom he...

A Rough Trade Book of the Year A Guardian Music Book of the Year 'Beautifully written and meticulously researched' Classic Pop'[An] all-encompassing repository of Cure wisdom' Record CollectorThe...

Flea, the iconic bassist and co-founder, alongside Anthony Kiedis, of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER"Mark Lanegan-primitive, brutal, and apocalyptic. What's not to love?" NICK CAVE"A stoned cold classic" IAN RANKIN'Mark Lanegan writes like he sings, from the pained heart...

Most priests take confessions. This one is giving his.'Rob Halford has written one of the most candid and surprising memoirs of the year. . . Confess is a riproaring tale, a funny, often shocking and...

'My life has been written about over and over again, and that's mostly okay with me. Other people can talk about my life. Sometimes they'll get it right and sometimes they'll get it wrong. For me,...

'ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANTLY INVENTIVE WRITERS OF THIS, OR ANY, COUNTRY' IndependentThe Number One Sunday Times Bestseller'Wildly entertaining'Spectator'A stand-out triumph'Sunday...

Jimmy was a down-at-heel guitarist in New York, relying on his latest lovers to support him while he tried to emulate his hero Bob Dylan. A black guy playing white rock music, he wanted to be all...

'Unflinching, forthright and full of wry humour as the man himself, and there's little praise greater than that' CLASSIC ROCK'Wall's vision of Lemmy as a Rock'n'Roll stalwart who made no concessions...

WALKING DISASTER is a riveting story of excess lived in the limelight, told with candour, humility and a thoughtful introspection rarely found in rock memoirs. An unlikely rock and roll success...

'[A] penetrating biography . . . While the book posits Newman as a writer of sociopolitical import, its emotional narrative is driven by the more personal aspects of his story: a complex family...

Over ten years after WHEN GIANTS WALKED THE EARTH, Mick Wall's seminal biography of the band, comes this major and extensively researched revision, which provides an unflinching look at life inside...