The Rock and Roll Readers Guide. A Comprehensive Guide to Books by and about Musicians and Their Music

A bibliography of rock music literature, arranged alphabetically by artist

This effort generally lives up to the promise of its subtitle, although one must accept a considerable amount of editorializing by the author as part of the bargain. Krebs, a former American editor for The Guinness Book of World Records, has creditably plowed through a ton of autobiographies, biographies, fanzines, and general rock music reference works to pull together this book. Criteria for inclusion and the arrangement thereof is generally handled well. Part 1 (53 pages) consists of "Selected General Reference," which is further subdivided into "General Reference," "Special Subjects," and "Magazines." Part 2, which at 355 pages is the larger part of the book, concerns itself with "Publications on Artists A to Z." Buttressing all this are author and title indexes. Entries are brief?generally a paragraph?and to the point on Krebs's opinion of the work in question. To his credit, he does provide snippets of critical evaluation on some titles from the likes of LJ, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly. Some inclusions are questionable, and the See and See Also references could use some work. Nonetheless, this reference tool should find an appreciative audience in any library servicing rock music and pop culture enthusiasts.?David M. Turkalo, Suffolk Univ. Law Sch. Lib., Boston, Mass.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.