Our head book buyer Alison Huber recommends six terrific non-fiction books about music.

How to Write About Music: Excerpts from the 33 1/3 Series, Magazines, Books and Blogs with Advice from Industry-Leading Writers edited by Marc Woodworth and Ally Jane Grossan

This is an invaluable text for all those who have ever dreamed of getting their music writing published and a pleasure for everyone who loves to read about music. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new interviews and insights from authors like Lester Bangs, Chuck Klosterman, Owen Pallet, Ann Powers and Alex Ross.

Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul by Mark Ribowsky

When he died suddenly at the age of twenty-six, Otis Redding (1941-1967) had already become the conscience of a new kind of soul music. In this transformative work, Mark Ribowsky contextualizes Redding’s life within the larger cultural movements of his era, whisking us from the ‘sinful’ clubs of Macon to the trendsetting studios in Memphis and, finally, to the pulsating stage of the Monterey Music Festival where, in a single set, Redding immortalized himself as a soul legend.

Let’s Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste by Carl Wilson

This expanded edition of Carl Wilson’s critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series title (in which he went on a quest to find his inner Céline Dion fan) calls on thirteen prominent writers and musicians to respond to themes ranging from sentiment and kitsch, to cultural capital and musical snobbery. Wilson’s original text is followed by lively arguments and stories from Nick Hornby, Krist Novoselic, Ann Powers, Mary Gaitskill, James Franco, Sheila Heti and others.

Naked at the Albert Hall: The Inside Story of Singing by Tracey Thorn

Part memoir, part wide-ranging exploration of the art, mechanics and spellbinding power of singing, Naked at the Albert Hall is Tracey Thorn’s follow-up to her bestselling autobiography Bedsit Disco Queen and offers a unique, witty and sharply observed insider’s perspective on the exhilarating joy and occasional heartache of singing.

Mystery Train by Greil Marcus

Greil Marcus’ study of American rock ‘n’ roll is justly regarded as one of the most accomplished examples of contemporary music writing. Using a handful of artists – a brace of bluesmen, The Band, Sly Stone, Randy Newman and Elvis Presley – Marcus illuminates and interprets the American Dream in rigorous prose, touching on myth, landscape and oral tradition. The result is an invigorating and wholly original study – here in its revised, sixth edition – that remains a high watermark in cultural criticism.

Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon

Set in the world of 1960s and ‘70s soul music, Respect Yourself is a character-driven story of racial integration, and then of black power and economic independence. It’s about music and musicians – Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Stax’s interracial house band. It’s about a small independent company’s struggle to survive in an increasingly conglomerate-oriented world. And always at the center of the story is Memphis, Tennessee, an explosive city struggling through volatile years.