The records we love have stories that deserve to be lifted off the shelves.
From Melissa Auf der Maur’s Even the Good Girls Will Cry to Stephanie Phillips’ We Were Here, our selection explores the people and communities who have shaped music, including voices too often left out of its history. Alice Cooper takes us behind the shock-rock spectacle, Grandmaster Flash revisits hip-hop’s beginnings, and Mike Pickering, writing with Paul Morley, traces a life at the heart of Manchester’s musical evolution. Essential reads for music lovers, spanning candid music memoirs, alternative histories, fiction and beautifully illustrated archives.
Scroll on down to find 20 beautifully produced books which have stood out as the best reads of 2026, including Rough Trade Exclusive editions, signed copies, special posters or postcards and unseen photography.
1. Melissa Auf der Maur - Even the Good Girls Will Cry: My ’90s Rock Memoir
Signed bespoke bookplate + Rough Trade Exclusive zine including extra material.
READ: In Conversation with Melissa Auf der Maur
As the powerhouse bassist for both Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur stood at the epicentre of '90s alternative rock during its most turbulent era. Drafted into Hole following the tragic death of prior bassist Kristen Pfaff and grunge music's great loss in Kurt Cobain, Auf der Maur delivers a gripping, beautifully poetic memoir of survival, artistic conviction and female friendship in male-dominated rock spaces. It’s packed with unsparing detail and emotion, capturing the grit and glamour of an iconic musical epoch.
“Our 90's fever dreams were beautiful, but they were also brutal, and only the good girls, like Melissa, have the guts to tell you that.”
Shirley Manson speaking on Even the Good Girls Will Cry.
2. Simon Reynolds - Still in A Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984–1994
White Rabbit
Signed bookplate plus limited zine with new cover.
A titan of modern music journalism who cut his teeth at Melody Maker in the late '80s, Simon Reynolds offers a definitive, culturally resonant account of alternative guitar music’s glorious metamorphosis. Still in a Dream weaves sharp critical analysis with vivid, personal storytelling to map the origins and impact of shoegaze, dream pop, and noise rock. Through profiles of groundbreaking acts like my bloody valentine, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Dinosaur Jr., and Pavement, Reynolds captures the atmospheric sonic revolution that redefined independent rock music for generations.
3. Alice Cooper - Devil On My Shoulder
Hardback + Rough Trade Exclusive lenticular bookmark + Deluxe special edition.
A personal tell-all memoir from the man behind the character, Vincent Furnier, better known as the godfather of shock rock Alice Cooper. Across six decades of music, the memoir explores the construction of a shock-rock legend alongside addiction, recovery, faith, marriage and what happens when the character you create starts taking over your life. With the aim of separating the much-talked-about myth from reality around his life, Cooper reveals an unconventional but self-serious memoir, providing a deep dive into his past like never before, and his eventual path to sobriety via renewed Christian faith.
4. Roland Orzabal - Welcome to Your Life: Love, Death and Tears for Fears
Limited Rough Trade Exclusive signed copies + plus astrological chart.
Tears for Fears co-founder and lead songwriter Roland Orzabal delivers a deeply moving, brutally transparent memoir that pairs the staggering height of global pop stardom with personal grief, love and recovery. Orzabal reflects on the loss of his wife Caroline and his journey back toward artistic and personal renewal. An unforgettable tribute to resilience and creative expression, this is an essential read from one of pop's most iconic musicians.
5. Chris Heath, Philip Hoare, Jeremy Deller - Pet Shop Boys Volume: The complete visual record
Signed bookplates by the Pet Shop Boys, in stores only.
Pet Shop Boys Volume gathers four decades of sleeve artwork, photography, videos, costumes and stage design into a richly illustrated account of the Pet Shop Boy's visual imagination. Commentary from Chris Heath and Philip Hoare, a foreword by Jeremy Deller and an introduction by Libby Sellers help reveal the thinking and collaborations behind the finished work. A book to celebrate the complete creative world surrounding a record, and the care that makes an album's detail worth revisiting.
6. Marco Pirroni - Your Money or Your Life
Signed copies + Rough Trade Exclusive polaroid postcard.
From the first Siouxsie and the Banshees performance at the 100 Club to the chart-conquering spectacle of Adam and the Ants, Marco Pirroni witnessed punk expanding into pop's heights. Your Money or Your Life follows that journey through the eyes of Pirroni, the guitarist and songwriter who helped create Kings of the Wild Frontier, Prince Charming and Stand and Deliver. Ending with the Ants’ split in 1982, this focused memoir captures a remarkably eventful period.
7. David Byrne - Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up
Hardback with Rough Trade Exclusive postcard + signed copies available.
Why do some ideas fall asleep? And how do they wake up? David Byrne explores why remarkable ideas, artworks and inventions can disappear from view before finding their moment. Taking in music, science, art and collective taste, the Talking Heads co-founder examines various case studies from Caravaggio and heliocentrism to Gaudi and Water Management in South India, asking who gets remembered, who gets forgotten and what changes when someone starts paying attention. For anyone who has championed an obscure record or wondered why their favourite artist never received their dues, this will be a book to connect with.
8. Billy cHiLDish - tHe Whole shiT CaN OvER-sPill
Vipers Tongue Press
Rough Trade Exclusive zine, signed and numbered with Childish's customary gallows symbol.
Billy cHiLDish’s tHe Whole shiT CaN brings together new poems and self-portraits in a compact, 32-page cut-and-paste design pamphlet, created by Childish himself. Published by Vipers Tongue Press, this pamphlet is an example of literature in the creative format of the zine, connecting writing and imagery and retaining a much more personal approach for contemporary poetry.
9. Graeme Thomson - In Another World: The Four Seasons of Talk Talk
Rough Trade Exclusive signed copies + postcards.
The best music writing makes you want to put a record on immediately. Graeme Thomson’s In Another World offers precisely that, exploring the extraordinary creative journey of Talk Talk and Mark Hollis through The Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock and Hollis’s self-titled solo album. Thomson’s attention to their making offers a compelling reason to re-evaluate and listen again.
10. Nick Cave - On The Fragility Of Life
Rough Trade Exclusive bookmark.
In this profound must-read exploration of grief and vulnerability, Nick Cave meditates on finding unexpected beauty and transcendence amidst life’s deepest struggles. He draws from his celebrated writing and personal insights and offers an inspiring beacon of hope and creative resilience for music fans everywhere.
11. Johnny Marr - Set the Boy Free
Signed copies.
Legendary guitarist and songwriter Johnny Marr reflects on his foundational work with The Smiths and his expansive journey as one of modern music’s most influential architects. Featuring a huge visual archive and exclusive photography, Set The Boy Free tells the story of a lifelong devotion to guitar music.
12. Rodge Glass - As One: Remaking Suede
Rough Trade Exclusive signed by author. Limited copies signed by the band in stores only.
Acclaimed biographer and long-time superfan Rodge Glass presents an extraordinary, behind-the-scenes look into the history and tumultuous resurgence of British indie icons Suede. Built on exclusive access and intimate interviews with the band, this definitive account captures the drama, creative reinvention, and emotional weight of their post-2010 reformation with unflinching honesty. An essay on what it means to make a comeback.
13. Matt Johnson & Jason Wood - Cognitive Dissident: Conversations with THE THE's Matt Johnson
Postcard signed by Matt Johnson.
Cognitive Dissident was born out of years of conversation between The The’s Matt Johnson and the BFI’s Executive director Jason Wood. Starting from Matt’s early working-class beginnings growing up above the Two Puddings in Stratford, to his international success in The The, to his eventual musical disappearance, the pair leave no stone unturned. An intimate exploration of family, friendship, creativity, conservation, gentrification, geopolitics, love and loss.
14. Bob Stanley - Twelve Songs of Christmas
Signed plus exclusive Christmas card.
Few musical traditions inspire quite the same mix of affection, competition and heated debate as the Christmas number one. Bob Stanley explores that peculiarly British obsession through twelve songs, connecting festive favourites with the changing habits of the people buying and listening to them. From Gene Autry to Wham!, via the Beatles, glam rock, charity singles and reality television, The Twelve Songs of Christmas turns a seasonal chart battle into a window on popular culture. For readers who love a pop fact, a forgotten favourite or an argument about what deserves the top spot.
15. Owen Cutts - Have You Ever Heard Old Music? 52 Essential Records You Need in Your Life
Signed + Rough Trade Exclusive stickers.
Producer and internet personality Owen Cutts shares his sonic wisdom, expertly curating some of his favourite records of the '50s, ‘60s and ‘70s and the stories surrounding them. Anyone who is familiar with Owen will be aware of his larger-than-life personality and infectious humour, and this is something that translates into every page. An essential read for anyone trying to expand their musical horizons and get better acquainted with some of the greatest records of music’s past.
16. Kae Tempest - Having Spent Life Seeking
Signed copies + Rough Trade Exclusive postcard.
Musician, poet and Sunday Times bestselling novelist Kae Tempest's first novel in a decade mirrors the theme of a return in his life, as the story's protagonist, Rothko Taylor, returns to their coastal hometown after fifteen years, facing the people, places and memories they once escaped, and a love that still holds enormous significance. Through this homecoming, Tempest explores identity, addiction, family and the difficult possibility of forgiveness. For fans drawn to Tempest’s compassion, emotive writing and attention to everyday lives, this novel offers another way into that world. One of the most compelling choices on our list, placing human connection at the centre.
17. Grandmaster Flash - Birth of a Culture
Signed bookplates.
Before hip-hop became a global force, it was being built through experimentation, resourcefulness and the energy of neighbourhood gatherings. In Birth of a Culture, Grandmaster Flash, writing with Robert “Scoop” Jackson, returns to the Bronx of the 1970s to tell that story from inside the movement. His account connects the development of DJ techniques with the MCs, dancers, graffiti artists and communities who helped establish an entirely new cultural language. For record lovers, there’s particular fascination in the ingenuity involved: existing music becoming the material for something nobody had heard before. A real pioneer’s account of collective creativity whose influence continues to shape how music is made.
18. Daniel Dylan Wray - Groovy, Laidback and Nasty: A History of Independent Music in Sheffield
Signed bookplate plus limited zine.
Sheffield has always been fiercely independent, and Daniel Dylan Wray has given the Steel City the flowers it deserves, documenting the music and creativity born in the face of economic decline and isolation. Drawing on nearly seven decades of meticulous research, this comprehensive work gathers more than 150 interviews from legendary artists including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, The Human League, Cabaret Voltaire, Self Esteem, and Richard Hawley. A love letter to South Yorkshire’s often-overlooked innovative and brilliantly D.I.Y creative hub.
19. Stephanie Phillips- We Were Here: A History of Black People and Alternative Music
Signed copies.
Stephanie Phillips’ We Were Here places Black artists and audiences at the centre of alternative music’s history. From Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard to Poly Styrene, Bad Brains, We Were Here follows a creative lineage repeatedly obscured by the industry’s preferred narratives. As a member of Big Joanie and a co-founder of Decolonise Fest, Stephanie draws from her personal experience to interrogate belonging, exclusion and artistic freedom. A balanced combination of historical research, interviews and lived perspective. Read this book for new discoveries as well as revisiting familiar favourites, a very vital addition to our list.
20. Mike Pickering with Paul Morley - Manchester Must Dance: A Life of Music, Madness and Moving on Up
Signed copies + Rough Trade Exclusive bookmark.
Few people can tell Manchester’s musical story from as many angles as Mike Pickering. Written with Paul Morley, Manchester Must Dance follows a life connecting the Haçienda, Factory Records and M People, tracing the relationships and enthusiasms behind seismic shifts in British music. Beginning with a childhood trip to see the Beatles, Pickering’s story takes in six decades of records, clubs, clothes, football and politics. An essential selection for anyone interested in how local scenes acquire a sound that travels worldwide.
Further Reading
Rough Trade Books of the Year 2025
In Conversation with Melissa Auf der Maur
In Conversation with Budgie
In Conversation with Will Hodgkinson