AbeBooks' Reading Copy

Sad news for jazz lovers today – pianist and composer Dave Brubeck died at the age of 91. Brubeck was incredibly prolific, and contributed to the music world enormously over his 60+ year careeer, helping to repopularize jazz and widen its appeal to a new generation of listeners. He was an important member of the [...]

We thought we’d help put a little spring in your step this Friday morning, with these 11 dance books from times gone by – Charleston, Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango or even Black Bottom your way through your day today. Cha-cha-cha! (Some of these appear to be sheet music – be sure to read the description before [...]

In 1948, when Elvis Presley was just 13 years old, he checked a copy of The Courageous Heart: A Life of Andrew Jackson out from his school library in Memphis, Tennessee. The card, complete with the young Presley’s signature, was discovered by a librarian while getting rid of old books. It, along with a copy [...]

The origins of blues, rock, jazz, country and hip hop have all been explored by musical historians. Pioneering musicians often overcame many challenges before their music was heard and these tales are worth telling. The music that shapes your soul can shape your reading too. The love of books and information, the love of music [...]

Louis “Studs” Terkel died in 2008, but today would have been his 100th birthday. Born to Russian-Jewish parents in the Bronx, Terkel spent the bulk of his life in Chicago. He married his wife, Ida in 1939, and the couple remained together until her death in 1999. Terkel was interested in oral history, and jazz, [...]

Dick Clark has died at age 8t of a heart attack.

My colleague Beth offers this review of R. Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country. Robert Crumb, better known as R. Crumb, is an American cartoonist, well-known for being outspoken, critical and subversive, for his highly recognizable illustrative style, and for his friendship and collaborations with Charles Bukowski. But many people don’t realize that Crumb [...]

If you believe that life should have a soundtrack, Love is a Mix Tape is the book for you.

Jarvis Cocker, frontman of Pulp and the man who invaded the stage while Michael Jackson performed because Jackson was attempting to be some “kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing”, is the latest celebrity to move into publishing. He is following Pete Townsend, Henry Rollins and Anthony Bourdain. The Guardian interviews him and [...]

It’s 20 years since the release of Nevermind by Nirvana and the mainstream media have been all over this anniversary. Last week I listened to NPR interviewing the album’s producer at length and today the Daily Telegraph reviews a book called Everybody Loves Our Town: A History of Grunge by Mark Yarm. This entertaining book…. [...]