Showing results by publisher "Simon & Schuster Audio" in History & Criticism

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER We've had the time of our lives as Swifties, and now that story—full of boundless joy, unexpected friendships, cherished memories, and wild theories—lives in this celebration of our fandom and the reason were all here: Taylor Swift. We all know how it...

From the creator of the acclaimed country music history podcast Cocaine & Rhinestones, comes the epic American saga of country music’s legendary royal couple—George Jones and Tammy Wynette. By the early 1960s nearly everybody paying attention to country music agreed that George Jones was the...

Fleetwood Mac’s iconic album Rumours is more popular and acclaimed now than ever and attracts listeners across generations—Don’t Stop celebrates the album’s unlikely creation, surprising longevity, and enduring cultural impact. On January 1, 1975, struggling young singer-songwriter...

*The inspiration for the CNN original series Vegas: The Story of Sin City* “Outstanding pop-culture history.” —Newsday The “smart and zippy account” (The Wall Street Journal) of how Las Vegas saved Elvis and Elvis saved Las Vegas in the greatest musical comeback of all time. Elvis’s...

Blunt, irreverent, and at times delightfully subversive, Opera Wars spotlights opera’s colorful and sometimes warring personalities, increasingly fierce controversies over content, and the battles being waged for its economic future—a “colorful, witty look behind the velvet curtain”...

This oral history documents the story of Oasis as told by the fans who were there. Discover never-before-seen perspectives charting the rise, fall, and rise again of Liam and Noel Gallagher and the British rock band whose music defined a generation. A few years after Definitely Maybe topped the...

In the New York Times bestseller From Pieces to Weight, rap mogul 50 Cent, a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, lifts the veil on his complicated life, from the murder of his mother when he was twelve, to hustling on the streets; from the assassination attempt that nearly finished him to his meteoric rise to...

A stirring and eye-opening celebration of the enduring legacy of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill—released in 1998 and named "Best Album of All Time" by Apple Music. Lauryn Hill’s first solo album is often cited by music critics as one of the most important recordings in modern history. From...

In this unique collection, Literary Witches co-creator Katy Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads, exploring the beauty and horror of the art form through stories, lyrics, and original interpretations. The audiobook includes covers of various folk...

Selected writings on three decades of popular music from one of the most influential critics of his generation. Spanning three decades worth of astute, acerbic, and overall astounding music writing, Kick Out the Jams is the first large-scale anthology of the work of renowned critic Dave Marsh...

A modern take on a classical icon: this “luminous book” (Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book) tells the story of when, where, and how Chopin composed his most famous work, uncovering many surprises along the way and showing how his innovative music still...

From music journalist and cochief content officer at Billboard Jason Lipshutz, a captivating cultural history of the boy band sensation One Direction, featuring exclusive new interviews with their key collaborators. Over 70 million records sold worldwide. Multiple sold-out tours played to...

“A fascinating political, racial, economic, and cultural tapestry” (Detroit Free Press), Once in a Great City is a tour de force from David Maraniss about the quintessential American city at the top of its game: Detroit in 1963. Detroit in 1963 is on top of the world. The city’s leaders...

While scores of books have been written about Elvis Presley, this is the first meticulously researched biography of Tom Parker written by someone who knew him personally. And for anyone truly interested in the performer many consider the greatest and most influential of the 20th century, it is impossible to understand how Elvis came to be such a phenomenon without examining the life and mind of Parker, the man who virtually controlled Elvis' every move.

The definitive story of the making and legacy of Graceland, Paul Simon’s still-beloved, career-topping 1986 album, drawn from extensive research and exclusive interviews with nearly 100 participants and witnesses: musicians, producers, engineers, record executives and journalists from Africa...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize Winner of a Certificate of Merit from the 2025 ARSC Awards for Excellence A New Yorker, GQ, The Daily Telegraph (London), and Library Journal Best Book of 2025 A 2025 Washington Post Notable Nonfiction An NPR...