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If you loved
Books like Guitar
A sprawling, cross-country love letter to the craftsmanship, history, and enduring mystique of America's favorite instrument. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Guitar.
- nostalgic
- expansive
- Americana-steeped
- 01
Guitar for dummies
Mark Phillips and Jon Chappell · 1998
A friendly, pressure-free jam session with a patient teacher who just wants you to have fun making music.
- 02
The history of jazz
Ted Gioia · 1997
An immersive, brilliantly portrayed journey through the breakthrough styles and legendary figures of a defining musical era.
- 03
Perfecting Sound Forever
Greg Milner
A fascinating, century-spanning exploration of how technology has shaped the very nature of what we hear and believe to be real.
- 04
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
Mitch Albom
A sweeping, magical fable about the profound ways our lives and talents ripple out to touch the souls of others.
- 05
Wanderlust
Rebecca Solnit · 2000
A lyrical, intellectual stroll through the history, philosophy, and politics of putting one foot in front of the other.
- 06
Beeswing
Richard Thompson
A reflective journey through a transformative era of music, capturing the quiet struggle of an artist searching for his true sound.
- 07
Library
Matthew Battles
A sweeping, novelistic journey through the triumphs and tragedies of human knowledge, celebrating the institutions that preserve our history while mourning those we have lost.
- 08
Love Is a Mix Tape
Rob Sheffield
A bittersweet, mixtape-guided tour through the giddy highs of young love and the devastating lows of sudden loss.
- 09
Difficult Men
Brett Martin
A juicy, intellectually rigorous backstage pass to the chaotic writers' rooms that birthed the Golden Age of Television.
- 10
Can't stop, won't stop
Jeff Chang
An epic, energetic chronicle of how marginalized youth forged a global cultural revolution out of the fires of deindustrialization.
- 11
Not fade away
Laurence Shames
An intimate, spirited reflection on facing mortality with the volume turned all the way up.
- 12
Searching for the Sound
Phil Lesh
An unvarnished, deeply personal backstage pass into the heart of America's most iconic improvisational rock band.
