The beautiful thing about books is that they can capture stories, trials and tribulations, and share them with millions of people just lime that. Many bands, artists, and music genres have a story to tell and give us the behind the scenes that we would never know otherwise. That is how we ended up creating the best music books of all time list!
Music has always played a big part in human civilization but many genres of music have a story to tell. From how they originated to the people that made sure that it made the transition to the masses. And we have seen that the limelight is not as great as it seems to be. You can see the full list of the best music books below!

The Best Music Books of All Time
- Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan
- How Music Works by David Byrne
- Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
- Rip It Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds
- The Rest Is Noise by Alex Ross
- Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad
- Divided Soul by David Ritz
- Last train to Memphis by Peter Guralnick
- This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin
- Revolution in the Head: The Beatles’ Records and the Sixties by Ian MacDonald
- Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil
- Girl in a Band: A Memoir by Kim Gordon
- Just Kids by Patti Smith
- Born to Run: The Unseen Photos by Bruce Springsteen
- Rock She Wrote by Various Writers
- Decoded by Jay-Z
- Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
- Life by Keith Richards
- Can’t Stop Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang
- Beastie Boys Book by Mike D
- Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
- Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman
- Me by Elton John
- How Music Got Free by Stephen Witt
- Unrequited Infatuations by Steven Van Zandt
- Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Questlove
- Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal by Katherine Turman
- England’s Dreaming by Jon Savage
- Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn
- Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster
Music to my Eyes
The list contains autobiographies, journalists that conducted interviews, and stories of how some genres came to be. From stories about hip-hop to punk, there is something for everyone. Read about anecdotes from the brightest musicians of the past 50 years or an autobiography.
As someone who loves music, I enjoy reading and learning about the musicians, the history, and learning things that we normally never hear. We get the end result but never the process and the hard work, the sleepless nights that led came before. I will be adding many of the books on this list to my reading list.
Conclusion
What to do you make of the best music books of all time list? What books should be on the list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!