Guitar Books

In addition to the Internet based resources out there, there is always good, old-fashioned, tried-and-trusted paper-based technology. These are strange physical objects that we used to know as… books. Here are a few that might be of interest to guitar lovers. Some of these are currently published, others are long since out of print, some are regularly updated, while others are pretty much one-offs.

This list is a bit of fun and is not intended to be comprehensive. The odd error may also have crept in, so I wouldn’t rely on it as a robust source of research material. Apologies too if I’ve missed anything crucial. For info, I have NO affiliation with any of the authors or publishers listed…

Notes:

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Guitar Books:

	Title	Author(s)	Publisher	Date	ISBN
1	50 Years Of Fender: Half A Century Of The Greatest Electric Guitars	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2000	0-97930-621-1
2	50 Years Of The Gibson Les Paul: Half A Century Of The Greatest Electric Guitars	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2002	0-87930-711-0
3	Blue Book Of Electric Guitars: 15th Edition	Zachary R. Fjestad	Blue Book Publications Inc.	2014	978-1-936120-56-7
4	A Concise History of the Classic Guitar	Graham Wade	Mel Bay Publications Inc.	2001	978-078-664-978-5
5	A Concise History of the Classic Electric Guitar	Adrian Ingram	Mel Bay Publications Inc.	2001	978-078-669-228-6
6	Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia	Dave Hunter	Merchant Book Company Ltd.	2003	1-904779-15-8
7	An Illustrated History and Directory of Acoustic Guitars	Dr James Westbrook	Anness Publishing Ltd.	2015	978-1-78019-374-8
8	An Illustrated History and Directory of Electric Guitars	Terry Burrows	Anness Publishing Ltd.	2015	978-1-78019-420-2
9	Blues Guitars For Dummies	Jon Chappell	Wiley Publishing Inc	2007	978-0-470-04920-4
10	Classic Electrics: A Visual History Of Great Guitars	Walter Carter	Outline Press (Book Publishers) Ltd.	2008	978-1-906002-0
11	The Electric Guitar	Paul Trynka	Virgin Books Ltd.	2001	0-7535-0653-X
12	Electric Guitar Handbook: A Beginner's Guide To The Technical Aspects Of Guitar Playing	Alan Ratcliffe	New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd.	2005	978-1-84517-180-3
13	Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia	Tony Bacon	Merchant Book Company Ltd.	2000	1-904-779-14-X
14	Fender: The Sound Heard 'Round The World	Richard R. Smith	Hal Leonard	1995	0-634-05875-4
15	The Fender Electric Guitar Book: A Complete History Of Fender Instruments	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2007	978-0-87930-897-1
16	The Fender Guitar	Ken Achard	Musical New Services Ltd.	1977	None
17	The Fender Stratocaster: A Complete Guide To The History And Evolution Of The World's Most Famous Guitar	A.R. Duchossoir	Hal Leonard	1994	0-7935-4735-0
18	Fender Stratocaster Manual: How To Buy Maintain The World's Most Popular Electric Guitar	Paul Balmer	Haynes Publishing	2006	978-1-84425-321-0
19	The Fender Telecaster: The Detailed Story Of America's Senior Solid Body Electric Guitar	A.R. Duchossoir	Hal Leonard	1991	0-7935-0860-6
20	Gibson Electrics: An Illustrated History From The Mid-'30s To The Mid-'60s	A.R. Duchossoir	Hal Leonard	1994	0-7935-9210-0
21	The Gibson Guitar	Ian C. Bishop	Musical New Services Ltd.	1977	None
22	Gibson Les Paul Manual: How To Buy Maintain And Set Up The Legendary Les Paul Electric Guitar	Paul Balmer	Haynes Publishing	2008	978-1-84425-478-1
23	Gruhn?s Guide to Vintage Guitars: An Identification for American Fretted Instruments	George Gruhn and Walter Carter	Backbeat Books	1999	978-0-87930-5
24	Guitar: The Shape Of Sound - 100 Iconic Designs	Ultan Guilfoyle	Phaidon Press	2023	978-1-83866-558-6
25	Guitar Aficionado: The Collections	Tom Beaujour & Christopher Scapelliti	Time Home Entertainment	2013	978-1-61893-095-8
26	Guitar Effects Pedals: The Practical Handbook	Dave Hunter	Backbeat Books	2004	978-0-87930-806-3
27	Guitar Fanily Trees: The History Of The World's Most Iconic Guitars	Terry Burrows	New Burlington	2018	978-0-85762-179-5
28	Guitar For Dummies	Mark Phillips & Jon Chappell	Wiley Publishing Inc	1998	0-7645-5106-X
29	Guitar Heaven: The Instruments And Players That Electrified The Music Of Our Lives	Neville Marten	Mitchell Beazley	2007	978-1-84553-304-1
30	Guitar Identification: A Reference For Dating Guitars Made by Fender Gibson Gretsch and Martin	A.R. Duchossoir	Hal Leonard	1983	978-1-4234-2611-0
31	Guitarist Presents: The World's Greatest Electric Guitars		Seven Oaks	2018	978-1-78177-877-7
32	The History of Rock in Fifty Guitars	Bruce Wexler	The History Press	2016	9-780750-969888
33	History of the American Guitar: 1833 to the Present Day	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2012	978-1617130335
34	The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide	Alan Greenwood & Gil Hembree	Vintage Guitar Books		978-1-884883-19-4
35	Play It Loud: An Epic History, Style, Sound & Revolution Of The Electric Guitar	Brad Tolinski & Alan Di Perna	Doubleday	2016	978-0-385-54099-5
36	The PRS Electric Guitar Book: A Complete History of Paul Reed Smith Electrics	Dave Burrluck	Backbeat Books	2014	978-1-4803-8627-3
37	Rock Chronicles: A Visual History Of The World's Greatest 250 Rock Acts	David Roberts	New Burlington	2018	978-0-85762-178-8
38	The SG Guitar Book: 50 Years of Gibson's Stylish Solid Guitar	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2015	978-1-48039925-9
39	Six Decades Of The Fender Telecaster: The Story Of The World's First Solidbody Electric Guitar	Tony Bacon	Backbeat Books	2005	978-0879-30856-8
40	The Ultimate Guitar Book	Tony Bacon	Dorling-Kindersley	1991	0-7513-4519-9
41	Warman's Vintage Guitars: Field Guide	Dave Rogers	KP Books	2005	0-89689-223-9
42	Zen and the Art of Guitar: A Path to Guitar Mastery	Jeff Peretz	Alfred Publishing Co.	2012	0-7390-2817-0

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