Secondhand Music Books

Margot Fonteyn - born plain Peggy Hookham - was dreamed into existence by the architects of British ballet: Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Constant Lambert. Carried to fame on...

For the first time ever, Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, tells her amazing life story in her own words and gives a full and honest account of what life was...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'A unique and thoughtful musical memoir' Observer'Gritty coming-of-age story . . . plenty of anecdotes to keep us hooked, and his memories of Joy Division's Ian Curtis...

Pete Townshend wrote 'Hope I die before I get old' in 1965 and took the Who to the top of the world in 1969's smash hit Tommy. He was inducted...

After 3 decades of groundbreaking music Bruce Springsteen still manages to amaze audiences around the world with his live shows and bring new fans to his music with every album...

The definitive list of the most popular albums since the 1950s. Each full-colour entry includes full track listing, band members, number one singles, recording data and album history.

The genius behind such classic songs as "Suzanne", "Bird on the Wire" and "Hallelujah", Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a...

'Squirm-inducing, excruciatingly honest and painfully funny' Joseph O'ConnorWe all went to school with friends who've turned out more successful than ourselves. But they don't all phone from improbably glamorous places...

'For a lot of years, I've answered a lot of questions, but have never told my story before.'Across six decades, Sir Tom Jones has maintained a vital career in a...

Bruce Springsteen turned fifty in 1999--the same year he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He remains one of...

Despite the number of claims in publishers blurbs, not many people actually achieve the status of legend in their own lifetime. Fewer still actually deserve that status. John Peel is...

The remarkable autobiography of the last great wartime icon. Born Vera Welch on 20 March, 1917 in the East End of London, Dame Vera Lynn's career was set from an...

The definitive story of The Stone Roses by Simon Spence, with an updated final chapter covering the reunion rollercoaster ride. From the Manchester backwaters to the worldwide 2012 tour, War...

___________'Incredibly tense and thriller-like . . . I totally recommend it' LEE CHILD'The dialogue is punchy, cinematic . . . we get inside the mind of Patterson's villain, the delusional...

Country music singer-songwriter Johnny Cash is an icon to people of all ages the world over. In Cash's first ever authorised biography, Steve Turner sifts the man from the legend...

The eagerly awaited follow-up to the best-selling Why Beethoven Threw the Stew.What did Haydn's wife use for curling-paper for her hair?What did Schubert do with his old spectacles case?Why was...

The memoir of the small girl (5 foot 1 inch tall) with the huge voice. At the age of 15, in 1964, Lulu - born Marie Lawrie in Glasgow -...

Throughout his life Mozart was inspired, fascinated, amused, aroused, hurt, disappointed and betrayed by women; and he appeared equally fascinating to them. But, first and last, Mozart loved and respected...

From a Tesco check-out to the X Factor stage ... Mary Byrne has lived every undiscovered singer's dream.With a voice of pure gold, Mary Byrne took X Factor by storm....

In 1994 punk rock trio Green Day were on top of the world with DOOKIE, their massive hit album. They were loud, fast, bratty, pissed off, hopeless, truthful, drunk, maybe...

"Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote." Irving Berlin, 1942. This book provides both the story behind the making of...

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope. In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears...

With the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics and the songs that roused the world, and over four decades he lived the original rock and roll life:...

As lead singer of Happy Mondays and Black Grape, Shaun Ryder was the Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of his generation. A true rebel, who formed and led not one...

"Having been a songwriter most of my life, condensing my ideas and emotions into short rhyming couplets and setting them to music, I had never really considered writing a book,...

Punk protagonist, legendary drinker, Irish musical icon. The complete and extraordinary journey of the Pogues' notorious frontman from outcast to national treasure has never been told - until now.A Furious...

Described as the Irish John Peel, Dave Fanning has been a major player in the Irish and global music scene for over 30 years. In this compelling memoir, RTE Radio...

Prince Rogers Nelson was a musical phenomenon who constantly reinvented himself throughout his long and colourful career, changing his style and even his name to keep his artistic output fresh...

London. Wham! Pop, glitz and glamour. And two girls with stars in their eyes.Our friendship began one windy day in 1982, outside Finsbury Park tube. It was an instant like...

Finally the definitive biography that Frank Sinatra, justly termed 'The Entertainer of the Century,' deserves and requires. Like Peter Guralnick on Elvis, Kaplan goes behind the legend to give us...

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERShortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018'Raw, beautiful' Dolly Alderton'Unflinching, unputdownable' Guardian'Witty, dark, devastating' Caitlin Moran'An amazing read. Brutally honest' Matt Haig'I love it'...

The Sunday Times bestseller'Frank, funny and inspiring' - You Magazine'Louise is just ready to do her - and we're here for it' - Glamour'Warm-hearted, honest and relatable' - Daily Mirror__________________________________________In...

Everybody loves ABBAas proven by the blockbuster success of "Mamma Mia!" the movie. "Thank You for the Music" traces the story of the Swedish supergroupwhich has sold an estimated 350,000,000...

Alex Ross's sweeping history of twentieth-century classical music, winner of the Guardian First Book Award, is a gripping account of a musical revolution. The landscape of twentieth-century classical music is...

The colourful story of the 80-year-old saxophone player and singer affectionately know as The King of The Swingers. Paddy Cole has taken his style of Jazz, Dixieland and Swing band...

Celebrate the music, mud and mayhem! 50 Years of Glastonbury celebrates one of the most popular musical events in the world, for fans and artists, alike. Packed with incredible photographs...

Harry Styles: Evolution of a Modern Superstar will be the first fully illustrated biography on the market about the star, and will be published midway through his 88-date global tour...

'A history that makes perfect sense when the sky is falling down.' - The Sunday TimesBeneath the psychedelic utopianism of the sixties lay a dark seam of apocalyptic thinking that...

A DAILY TELEGRAPH and IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARThe must-read music book of the year, now with a brand new chapter covering the death of Taylor Hawkins and his...

'I can't rewrite history; all I can do is be honest and wear my heart on my sleeve. It's really the only way I know. I want to show people...

___________'Incredibly tense and thriller-like . . . I totally recommend it' LEE CHILD'The dialogue is punchy, cinematic . . . we get inside the mind of Patterson's villain, the delusional...

An insightful biography of one of the world's greatest musicians, Bob Dylan, by bestselling author Paul Morley. As one of the world's greatest musicians, Bob Dylan has enriched the American...

Ben Folds is an internationally celebrated musician, singer-songwriter and former front man of the alternative rock band, Ben Folds Five, beloved for songs such as 'Brick', 'You Don't Know Me',...