This copy is very prominently, neatly, and beautifully signed in black pen-marker on the title page by Nick Hornby. An absolute "must-have" title for Nick Hornby and Marcel Dzama collectors. Apart from the indispensable accompanying CD, Hornby's pitch-perfect prose is also enhanced by the quirkily beautiful art of the brilliant Canadian artist Marcel Dzama. But then, who better to riff on his favorite songs than the author of that literary music-lover's delight, "High Fidelity"? "And mostly all I have to say about these songs is that I love them and want to sing along to them and force other people to listen to them and get cross when these other people don't like them as much as I do" (Nick Hornby). The personal essays on music in "Nick Hornby Songbook" pop off the page with the immediacy and passion of an artfully arranged mixed tape.
He has also written music criticism for The New Yorker Magazine. Highly personal and idiosyncratic, Hornby is singularly qualified to write a book about popular music, having written the novel, "High Fidelity", which became the basis of a fine film (with John Cusack). With the exception of Marcel Dzama's "The Berlin Years" (which is an Artist Book after all), this is also the single best book published by McSweeney's in terms of its production values. Still the best book on popular music ever written in our time, by an ardent fan who is also a brilliant writer. Printed on archival stock paper in Iceland to the highest standards. CD containing 11 selections attached on the inside back endcover. Pictorial hard boards with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. A brilliant production by Marcel Dzama and Alysha Naples: Regular-sized volume format. Published in a small and limited one-time-only print run as a hardcover original only that sold out shortly after publication. Precedes and should not be confused with the Softcover Edition. One of the best books on popular music ever written in our time. The author's collection of essays and prose-poems on music. Honest, funny and enjoyable enough to read in one sitting, “Songbook” will become a fast favorite of anyone who understands that music, as much as anything, can affect the most precious of memories.1st Printing. In addition to five bonus essays of various musical subjects, Hornby includes information on locating every song he writes of, just in case the reader should feel inclined to discover them and they most definitely will. Hornby becomes more than just an author, he slowly becomes a peer and trusted friend, one that understands why “Rain” is the best Beatles song and willingly admits that Rod Stewart really is pretty awesome. What is truly brilliant about “Songbook” is that it manages to encapsulate the feelings of every true musical fanatic. The combination of old classics, new modern rock and unknown discoveries is better than any Top 100 list ever created by Rolling Stone. Choices from Nelly Furtado, Ben Folds Five, Ani DiFranco and Teenage Fanclub are all considered to be exemplary by Hornby’s standards. Most of the other songs mentioned are important to Hornby because they remind him of what music is really about. Pieces by Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Santana and J. Half of the choices on his 31 song list remind him of a time in his life when music defined who he was. Hornby has discovered through years of music obsession that all of his best and more important memories are connected to a song in some way. On the contrary, Hornby has basically written on a collection of songs that mean something to him and by extension, should mean something to the reader as well. Hornby states in his opening chapter that “All I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them and get cross when these other people don’t like them as much as I do.” What is remarkable about “Songbook” is that is not a critique of music. Nick Hornby sums up “Songbook” in one brilliant sentence.
Written with passion and humor, “Songbook” is a remarkable collection of musings from a man who knows what it means to truly love music.
Hornby, author of “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy” among others, has taken his obsession with music and turned it into one of the most enjoyable reads on the market. “Songbook,” the latest release from Nick Hornby, is the literary equivalent of the mix tapes that Hornby takes so much pride in.
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