‘Reverb’ (book series, 2012- )

Icelandic Pop by Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen, the twentieth title in the Reverb series from Reaktion Books, published September 2025.


About Reverb

Reverb is a series of books, cultural histories and studies of music, published by Reaktion Books and distributed in North America by the University of Chicago Press. Each book in the series offers a new perspective on the connections between music, particular artists and performers, musical cultures and the times and places they emerge from. 

To date twenty volumes in the series are in print. Some mages and links to the publisher website can be found here.

New titles in the works include a volume on Frank Sinatra that examines his career through the places in his music and films. Recent successes include Seth Bovey’s acclaimed Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock from the 1950s to the Present (Shindig! magazine’s book of the year, 2019) and Mark Doyle’s widely-praised The Kinks: Songs of the Semi-Detached.

SERIES EDITOR: John Scanlan


Transatlantic Drift, by Katie Milesone and Simon A. Morrison, published March 2025, the nineteenth title in the Reverb series. Background image by Unsplash / Aleksandr Popov


"A series that swerves the more predictable biographies and traditional histories of popular music"

Popular Music and Society


Crooner by Alex Coles, the eighteenth title in the Reverb series, published August 2023.


The Monkees by Tom Kemper, seventeenth title in the Reverb series, published June 2023


Song Noir by Alex Harvey, the sixteenth title in the Reverb series, published August 2022.


The Kinks by Mark Doyle, fifthteenth title in the Reverb series, published March 2020


Five Years Ahead of My Time by Seth Bovey, fourteenth title in the Reverb series, published May 2019


Peter Gabriel by Paul Hegarty, the thirteenth title in the Reverb series, published July 2018


Gypsy Music by Alan Ashton-Smith, the twelfth title in the Reverb series, published October 2017.


Sting by Paul Carr, eleventh title in the Reverb series, published September 2017.


Easy Riders, Rolling Stones by John Scanlan, tenth title in the Reverb series, published September 2015


Jimi Hendrix, ninth title in the Reverb series, published September 2015.


Neil Young by Martin Halliwell, the 8th title in the Reverb series, published September 2015.


Heroes: David Bowie and Berlin by Tobias Rüther, the seventh title in the Reverb series, published October 2014.


Remixology by Paul Sullivan, sixth title in the Reverb series, published February 2014.


Nick Drake by Nathan Wiseman-Trowse, fifth book in the Reverb series, published September 2013.


Tango: Sex and the Rhythm of the City by Mike Gonzalez and Marianella Yanes, fourth title in the Reverb series, published May 2013.


Brazilian Jive by David Treece, the third title in the Reverb series, oublished May 2013.


The Beatles in Hamburg by Ian Inglis, second title in the Reverb series, published April 2012.


Van Halen by John Scanlan, the first title in the Reverb series, published April 2012.