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Auteurs Nora Ephron and Ida Lupino get the star treatment in new books by Ilana Kaplan and Alexandra Seros. 

Boyd’s treasure trove of information about the global impact of world music (particularly on the United States) is a tour de force that will fascinate music lovers.

A must-have for fans and a fitting tribute to an amazing artist.

Ranging from performing arts memoirs to craft books to philosophy, this large section of the Book Review featured a number of outstanding titles in the first half of 2024.

These two memoirs offer insider accounts of making music and series television.

Two books that explore the talent, creativity, and deep appeal of the Fab Four.

These biographies of Candida Royalle and Anna May Wong explore 20th-century feminism, the film industry, sex, race, and gender.

These performing arts memoirs feature Judi Dench’s insights, personal experiences, and knowledge about Shakespeare’s plays and RuPaul baring his soul about his dysfunctional family and the battles he has fought.

Jazz up performing arts collections with a compulsively readable book about the making of Kind of Blue and the illuminating diary of legendary saxophone great Sonny Rollins.

Dive into Elizabeth Taylor’s filmography with these books about Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Cleopatra.

An exploration of 1970s Blaxploitation films and a memoir from a legendary actor.

Two iconic filmmakers have the lens turned on them in these in-depth examinations.

Popular women singers of the 1950s are spotlighted in two volumes that detail their careers, challenges, and critical acclaim. 

A Beatles oral history, folk music chronicles, and more music books to create a reading melody.

Meticulous biographies that provide a fresh take on the lives and careers of Lucille Ball and Charlie Chaplin.

A name-dropping memoir by Joan Collins and a massive, vital biography of Madonna.

The story of the iconic SF novel gets told through two nonfiction accounts.

These volumes of Hirschfeld’s illustrations and caricatures form a remarkable visual history of Broadway theater in its heyday.

In two new titles, the film Maurice is examined for the historical and significant role it played in gay cinema, and the TV sitcom Will & Grace gets some much deserved recognition.

Elvis is in two new books that offer a fresh look at the King of Rock and Roll. The books address the man who helped propel him to fame, the song “Hound Dog,” and the wider cultural implications of different streams of pop and rock music.

Prolific playwright, screenwriter, and actor Charles Busch offers a joyful memoir to capture the hearts of theater and movie buffs, and theater critic Patti Hartigan delights with an outstanding biography of the great playwright August Wilson. 

Go deep into punk history with John Malkin’s oral history about the roots of activism in punk rock and Marie Arleth Skov’s art-historical look at the incendiary artworks created by a “no future” punk art movement.

There are two new engaging options for Beatles fans. One title deviates from standard biographies and music analysis, the other showcases mostly unseen images of the Beatles from the end of 1963 through early 1964.

In these reissues of his memoirs (reviewed in the April 2023 issue of LJ), record producer Simon Napier-Bell, known for his work with Wham! and the Yardbirds, gives readers a racy but shrewd glimpse of the British music scene. 

It’s been 50 years since the release of The Godfather. To mark the occasion, LJ has curated a list of titles that are musts for fans.

When looking to update a music collection, librarians should consider works that reflect diversity of identity, genre, and experience. The list below can serve as a starting point to ensure that collections convey the contributions of women, especially women of color and queer women. These materials will help ensure that the artists’ legacies remain intact, that their voices are not silenced, and that future generations will recognize their achievements.

Build collections about hip-hop, spanning scholarship, poetry, memoir, and photography, with an eye to representing national and global perspectives and an intergenerational group of authors.

Author Ricky Riccardi spoke with LJ about his work at Louis Armstrong House Museum and why Armstrong’s music and life still resonate all these years later.

A persuasive argument for taking Parton seriously as an artist; a thoughtful musing on the significance of Parton’s work and success, and those she inspires

Foster’s thoughtful and well-researched look at race and the blues will be useful to music and sociology academics; extremely knowledgeable but a bit overly academic, Gussow ably details the African American core of the blues and the shifting racial dynamics that have made the music so compelling

This sociological and pop culture studies text also sheds light on fandom in general; most readers will appreciate this analysis and celebration of boy bands

Many people stuck inside all day have dived back into favorite TV se­ries to pass the time. Between binge-watches, learn more about your favorite shows from these can’t-miss reads.

This exhaustive history will please fans of obscure indie movements; covering dozens of bands in a variety of styles, Tow pens a sweeping look at a pivotal period of music history

Dig in for music history, trailblazing animators, and incisive critiques of film and TV. The best arts titles published in 2019.

A must for Prince fans and for readers interested in his impact on the music industry, pop culture, and race and gender theory; this book provides insight into the artist’s nonconformity, which many will now see as commonplace.

A wonderful biography of a memorable man, and a worthy addition to all libraries; though at times too congratulatory, an otherwise strong account of a talented and uncompromising director

An examination of New York's postwar art scene, a philosophical take on the meaning and impact of art, and a look at 20th century history through protest songs top the list of best-selling books on music and art, as compiled by GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO.

Fans and academics alike will enjoy these in-depth looks at Springfield's favorite family.

On June 6, poet, essayist, playwright, and 2016 MacArthur Fellow Claudia Rankine launched the New York premiere of her first published play, a new one-act called The White Card, at the New York Public Library (NYPL) Steven A. Schwarzman building.

Fans will flock to this sincere memoir and its thoughtful advice; this book deserves a spot on library shelves for its affirming representation of coming of age and finding oneself

For anyone curious about why their favorite songs strike a chord with them; a must for all libraries

For Christgau fans and anyone seeking thought-provoking musings on books and music;  anyone who lived through the 1970s—or cares to discover some of the best music of the decade—will find much to enjoy here