1. Punk Diary 1970-1979
Laid out in a well-organized timeline, George Gimarc's Punk Diary is an essential source that painstakingly details the events in British punk music as the scene was exploding. Beginning with the release of Fun House by the Stooges, the book carries the reader through 10 years of chaos. Even with such a long period of history to cover, the level of detail is amazing.
The book also comes with a CD, full of interview clips from some of the people who created punk rock.Buy from Amazon »
2. Break All Rules! Punk Rock and the Making of a Style
More than just a history, Break All Rules is an anthropological study of the punk rock movement. Author Tricia Henry explores what was going on in the social and economic cultures of England and America, and how it helped found punk rock.
Henry also examines the musical and artistic influences that helped create punk. Although some punk artists are loathe to admit it, she examines how Warhol and Lou Reed helped pave the way for punk rock.Buy from Amazon »
3. Punk: The Illustrated History of a Music Revolution
Adrian Boot and Chris Salewicz have compiled a rich visual history that, while light on content, gives readers a strong experience of punk through pictures. Beginning with the Sex Pistols and ending with Nirvana, the authors present 30 years of the musical movement.
Using flyers, art, album covers and photos, the authors have managed to capture the raw energy of punk rock. Many of the photos have never been published before, making this book an essential collection for any punk fan.Buy from Amazon »
4. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk
A compilation of hundreds of interviews conducted by authors Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, Please Kill Me presents the history of punk in the words of its creators.
You won't find a lot on the Sex Pistols or the Clash, though; Please Kill Me places its emphasis on American punk rock. There are interviews with Iggy, The Ramones and the MC5, as well as various groupies, scenesters and hangers on. If you want to learn about punk from people who were there at its onset, this is the place to look.Buy from Amazon »
5. Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs
In Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols relates his story in his own words. The legendary frontman's autobiography starts with his childhood, and in his own pompous way, presents readers with how he helped create a musical movement.
Reading Rotten's writing is a great glimpse into how he thinks, and how he felt about it all as it was going on. Often misquoted, Rotten is his attempt to set the record straight, or at least to spin it in the direction he prefers.Buy from Amazon »