A collection of short essays discussing various elements of the sound recording industry, and how to navigate the world of record collecting, this book also includes multiple discographies of the most valuable recordings in various genres and collecting areas.

"Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. The story of the compact disc is also the story of the end of physical media. It is the story of how the quest for perfection laid the grounds for the death of a great industry. For in the passage from analogue media, like records and tapes, to digital media, like CDs, something changed in the nature of media and in the relationship we have...

"Cellomaster Pablo Casals and 'King of the Delta Blues' Robert Johnson recorded iconic albums the very same week in history. Late November 1936. In Spain, Pablo was dealing with an erupting World War II. While in America's 'Jim Crow' South, Robert was dealing with racism and the 'Great Depression.' For both, their music was their motivation. Pablo recorded Bach's Classic Suites at Abbey Road Studios in London, while Robert recorded his 'classic' Blues...

"In 2015, vinyl sales in the US increased by 30% - a raise for the tenth year in succession - and 1.29 million vinyl albums were sold in the UK in 2014, the first time the million mark has been surpassed since 1996. Vinyl, once thought to be a dying market, is now facing a major revival. Pop culture writer and historian Jennifer Otter Bickerdike interviews some of our most iconic artists, including hip-hop stars, Indie legends, DJs, producers, album...