Books

The main aim of this page is to list books in which Peel appears either as a writer or subject. To be included in the latter category, the book should feature at least one chapter about him.

Peel also enjoyed reading - during his schooldays, English was one of the few subjects in which he did well - and on his 1967 Perfumed Garden shows on Radio London would sometimes read poems or stories between the records. Because of this, the BBC gave him the Night Ride show of 1968-69, which regularly featured guest poets who would discuss their work with him. In his later years, he was known to say that he would study English Literature if he won the pools.[5] [6] On Desert Island Discs, he named the 12-volume A Dance To The Music Of Time by Anthony Powell as his book choice. Peel's eldest son was named after the main character in Richmal Crompton's Just William stories.[7]

Writing in a student magazine in 1989, John Walters compared Peel to Eeyore, saying the DJ resembled the pessimistic donkey from A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh far more than any other of his favourite fictional characters ("I always tell him that he should forget Roy of the Rovers and Biggles"). Walters also hinted at how Peel's tastes in reading had influenced his distinctive style of spoken English: "The phraseology may derive from the handful of pre-war books that he reads constantly. Why bother with new ones when the old are perfectly good?"

A list of Peel's mentions of books, on his radio shows and in his journalism, appears at the bottom of the page, along with a list of books from his collection that were put up for auction in 2022.

Writer

Main Author

• Peel, John; Sheila Ravenscroft (2005). Margrave Of The Marshes. Bantam Press. ISBN 0593052528.
• Peel, John; Sheila Ravenscroft (2006). Memoiren des einflussreichsten DJs der Welt. German edition of: Margrave Of The Marshes. Bogner & Bernhard bei Zweitausendeins. ISBN 9783807710211
• Peel, John (2009). The Olivetti Chronicles. Bantam Press. ISBN 055215704X.

Foreword by Peel

• Currie, Tony (2001). The Radio Times Story. Kelly Publications. ISBN 1903053099.
• Docherty, Geoff; preface by Dave Stewart (2002). A Promoter's Tale: Rock At The Sharp End. Omnibus Press. ISBN 071199434X.
• Duffy, Kevin (2007): Mothers: The Home Of Good Sounds 1968-1971. Birmingham City Council Department of Leisure & Co. ISBN 0709302177.
• Everett, Peter (1986): You'll Never Be 16 Again (1986). BBC Books. ISBN 0563205334.
• McLagan, Ian 'Mac’ (2000). All The Rage: My High Life With The Small Faces, The Faces, The Rolling Stones And Many More. Pan Books. ISBN 033037673X.
• Mudrian, Albert (2004): Choosing Death: The Improbable History Of Death Metal And Grindcore. Feral House. ISBN 193259504X.
• Reid, Ron (photographs) and Bailey, Liam (photographs) (1995). Glastonbury: The Festival. Albedo Press. ISBN 0952588609.
• Roach, Martin (1999). Dr Martens Air Wair. R Giggs Group. ISBN 1199176567.
• Royle, Trevor (2002). National Service: The Best Years of Their Lives. Andre Deutsch. ISBN 0233051120.
• Selwood, Clive (2002). All The Moves (But None Of The Licks): Secrets Of The Record Business. Peter Owen Ltd. ISBN 0720611539.
• Strong, Martin C. (2002). The Great Rock Discography, 6th ed. Canongate Books. ISBN 1841953113.
• Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography, 7th ed. Canongate Books. ISBN 1841956155.
• Ticher, Mike & Lyons, Andy (1992). The 1st Eleven: When Saturday Comes Issues 1-11: The Half Decent Retrospective. Lennard Queen Anne Press. ISBN 1852915226.

Contributor

• Mairowitz, David (ed.) (1969). Some of IT. London: Knullar [8]
• Peel, John. Beyond The Pop Horizon in Rider, David (ed) (1977), Happy Birthday Radio 1. Everest. ISBN 0905018818. [9]
• Peel, John. Dylan at Wembley in Thomson, Elizabeth; Gutman, David (eds) (1990), The Dylan Companion. Macmillan London. ISBN 9780333535837.
• Peel, John. The Ingerland Factor Playlist: Can You Hear The English Sing? in Perryman, Mark (ed) (1999), The Ingerland Factor: Home Truths from Football. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1840182113.
• Peel, John. 'Jocks Choice' in Irwin, Colin (ed) (1992), 25 Years of Pop ~ A 1992 Radio One Birthday Special. BBC Magazines. ASIN B008L0BT8S.

Cover Quotes

• Barnes, Mike (2011): Captain Beefheart: The Biography. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1780380763.
  (Back cover: "If there has been such a thing as a genius in the history of pop music, it's Beefheart")
• Cope, Julian (1996): Krautrocksampler, 2nd ed. Head Heritage. ISBN 0-9526719-1-3.
  (Title page: "What a great book!")
• Duffy, Kevin (2007): Mothers: The Home Of Good Sounds 1968-1971. Birmingham City Council Department of Leisure & Co. ISBN 0709302177.
  (Back cover: "I sometimes get mail from younger people who live in Erdington who are amazed to hear that for a few years, the best club in Britain - and it was, because I went to most of them - was right here in Birmingham.")
• Garner, Ken (2007). The Peel Sessions: A Story Of Teenage Dreams And One Man's Love Of New Music. BBC Books. ISBN 1846072824.
  (Inside back sleeve, about 'In Session Tonight': "a work of almost lunatic scholarship")
• Greig, Charlotte (1989): Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?: Girl Groups from the 50s On. Virago Press. ISBN 1853810029.
  (Front cover: “Reading this book gave me an irresistible urge to go out and listen to the records.”)
• The End (eds) (2011): The End Fanzine | 30th Anniversary Edition. Sabotage Times.[10] [11]
  (Front cover: "My favourite magazine is The End from Liverpool which concerns itself with music, beer and football. The very stuff of life itself.")
• Logan, Nick, and Woffinden, Bob (1977): The Illustrated New Musical Express Encyclopedia of Rock. Salamander Books. ISBN 0861010094.
  (Back cover has extract from JP's Sounds review of 1976 hardback edition published by Hamlyn; "...a valuable work and, considering the wide range of colourful snaps and the overall excellence of the presentation, almost cheap....")
• Neville, Richard (1970): Playpower. Jonathan Cape ISBN 0586080422 (Back cover of 1971 Paladin paperback edition has Peel quote; "Should be read in every school, office, army hut or other institution....". Later, JP changed his opinion of the book, saying that he agreed with the anonymous Sunday Times reviewer also quoted on the back cover, who claimed that Neville's book "contains the germs of a new fascism")
• Pringle, Steve (2022): You Must Get Them All: The Fall On Record. Route Publishing. ISBN 1901927881.
  (Title of book comes from a Peel quote, used inside after the contents page and in promotional materials: "People write to me and say, ‘I heard The Fall, which record should I get?’ And I never have any hesitation in telling them: you must get them all, because it’s impossible to pick one."[12])

Subject

Reference

• Garner, Ken (1993). In Session Tonight: Complete Radio 1 Recordings. BBC Books. ISBN 0563364521.
• Garner, Ken (2007). The Peel Sessions: A Story Of Teenage Dreams And One Man's Love Of New Music. BBC Books. ISBN 1846072824.
• Whitby, Mark (2005). The Festive Fifty. Nevin Publishing. ISBN 0954831705.
• Whitby, Mark (2015). The Festive Fifty (2nd edition). CreateSpace Independent Publishing. ISBN 1511860375.

Biographies

• Heatley, Michael (2004). John Peel: A Life In Music. Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 1843171511.
• Heatley, Michael (2006). John Peel: Ein Leben für die Musik. German edition of: John Peel: A Life In Music. I.P. Verlag Jeske/Mader GbR. ISBN 3931624331
• Wall, Mick (2005). John Peel: A Tribute To The Much-Loved DJ And Broadcaster. Orion. ISBN 0752876740.

Others

• Albertine, Viv (2014): Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.: A Memoir. Thomas Dunne. ISBN 1250065992.
• Armitage, Simon (1999): All Points North. Viking. ISBN 0670873004.
• Cavanagh, David (2015): Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life. Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571302475.
• Chapman, Robert (1992): Selling The Sixties: The Pirates And Pop Music Radio. Routledge. ISBN 0415079705.
• Ellen, Mark (2014). Rock Stars Stole My Life!: A Big Bad Love Affair with Music. Coronet. ISBN 1444775499.
• Jones, Allan (2018). Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock'n'Roll War Stories. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1408885921.
• Kershaw, Andy (2011). No Off Switch: An Autobiography. Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1846687446.
• LeRoy, JT (ed) (2005). Da Capo Best Music Writing 2005. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306814463.
• McCallum, Mark (2007). Home Truths: The Peel Years and Beyond. John Murray Publishing. ISBN 071952072X.
• Osborne, John (2010). Radio Head: Up And Down The Dial Of British Radio. Pocket Books. ISBN 1847392547.
• Quantick, David (2019). Go West. Unbound Digital. ISBN 1912618702.
• Radcliffe, Mark (2010). Thank You For The Days: A Boy's Own Adventures In Radio And Beyond. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1847393705.
• Reynolds, Simon (2009). Totally Wired: Postpunk Interviews And Overviews. Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571235492.
• Thacker, Lee; introduction David Gedge, Cuban Boys (2010). The Festive Fifty: An Illustrated Memoir. Raw Shark. ASIN B005886CUG.
• Van der Kiste, John (2016). Pop Pickers and Music Vendors: : David Jacobs, Alan Freeman, John Peel, Tommy Vance and Roger Scott. ISBN 9781781555446
• Williams, Richard (2019). A Curry With John Peel: the City Walls story. [13] [14]

Mentioned by Peel

Radio Shows

1967

• 12 July 1967: Lucie-Smith, Edward (ed.) (1967). The Liverpool Scene. Carroll.
• 19 July 1967: Carroll, Lewis (1865). Alice In Wonderland. Macmillan.
• 19 July 1967: Carroll, Lewis (1871). Through The Looking Glass. Macmillan
• 10 August 1967: Milne, A.A. (1926): Winnie-the-Pooh (Peel also reads from the book)
• 14 August 1967: Milne, A.A. (1926): Winnie-the-Pooh (Peel reads the story "In Which Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water")
• 14 August 1967: Tolkien, J.R.R. (1937). The Hobbit. Allen & Unwin

1968

• 06 March 1968: Mitchell, Adrian (1968). Out Loud Cape Goliard
• 27 March 1968: Henri, Adrian (1968): Tonight at Noon Rapp & Whiting
• 10 April 1968: Brown, Pete (1966): Few. Migrant
• 01 May 1968: Jackson, Alan (1967). The Worstest Beast Self-published
• 01 May 1968: Jackson, Alan; Nuttall, Jeff; Wantling, William (1968).Penguin Modern Poets 12 Penguin
• 08 May 1968: Patten, Brian (1969). "Forthcoming children's book" (title mentioned in discussion between JP and BP doesn't appear in Patten's bibliography) Allen and Unwin
• 24 July 1968: Oliver, Paul (1968). Screening The Blues: Aspects Of The Blues Tradition. Cassell
• 18 December 1968: Hunter, Norman (unknown). Professor Branestawm (unknown title in the series). Puffin

1969

• 09 February 1969: Danot, Serge: (1968): Dougal's Sugar Castle: An Odhams Magic Roundabout Mini-Book
• 12 March 1969: Cohen, Leonard (1969): Selected Poems 1956-1968 Jonathan Cape
• 02 April 1969: Horder, John (1968): A Sense Of Being. Chatto & Windus/The Hogarth Press
• 07 May 1969: Cutler, Ivor (1966). Cockadoodledon't!!!. Dennis Dobson
• 11 June 1969: Bolan, Marc (1969). The Warlock of Love. Lupus Music
• 22 June 1969: Morton, J.B (1937) Sideways Through Borneo Jonathan Cape
• 23 July 1969: Oliver, Paul: (1969) The Story Of The Blues Barrie & Jenkins

1979

• 21 June 1979: Ravenscroft, Thomas (1609). Pamelia. Da Capo
• 12 November 1979: Rees, Nigel (1979). Graffiti Lives, O.K.. Allen & Unwin

1980

• 31 March 1980: Norton, R.A. (1961). Through Beatnik Eyeballs. Pedigree
• 24 September 1980: Sillitoe, Alan (1971). Travels In Nihilon. Allen
• It Makes Me Laugh: Crompton, Richmal (1922). Just William. George Newnes
• It Makes Me Laugh: Rochester, George (1949). The Worst Squadron In France. Eldon
• It Makes Me Laugh: Hadath, Gunby (1938). Major and Minor: A Public School Story. London
• It Makes Me Laugh: Morton, J.B. (1939). A Bonfire Of Weeds. Jonathan Cape
• It Makes Me Laugh: Weatherall, Ernie (1957). Rock 'N Roll Gal. Beacon
• It Makes Me Laugh: Waugh, Evelyn (1928). Decline And Fall. Chapman & Hall
• It Makes Me Laugh: Jerome K. Jerome (1900). Three Men On The Bummel. J.W. Arrowsmith
• It Makes Me Laugh: Pile, Stephen (1979). The Book Of Heroic Failures. Futura

1982

• 25 November 1982: Gillespie, Dizzy (1979). To Be Or Not To Bop. Doubleday

1983

• 22 August 1983: Ziegler, Philip (1969). The Black Death. Harper Collins

1984

• 30 August 1984: Paull, John (1980). The Story Of The Ant. Ladybird Books

1985

• 04 September 1985: Garrett, Chris & Kidd, Mick (1985). Desert Island Biff. Corgi

1986

• 14 July 1986: O'Brien, Flann (1967). The Third Policeman. MacGibbon & Kee

1987

• 28 April 1987: Redhead, Steve (1987). Sing When You're Winning. Pluto
• 20 May 1987: Turner, Tina (1986). I, Tina. William Morrow And Company
• 04 September 1987 (Radio Bremen): Fink, John-Stephen (1981). Cluck! - The True Story Of Chickens In The Cinema. Virgin

1988

• 21 March 1988: Gillett, Charlie (1988). Making Tracks: The History Of Atlantic Records. Souvenir Press
• 25 October 1988: Brookes, Bruno & Wilson, Mary (1988). What A Week!. Puffin

1989

• 12 October 1989: Captain Beefheart (1987). Skeleton Breath, Scorpion Blush: Songs and Poems. Verlag Gachnang & Springer

1990

• Desert Island Discs: Powell, Anthony (12 volumes: 1951-1975). A Dance to the Music of Time. Heinemann
• 16 January 1990: Lawrence, D.H. (1928). Lady Chatterley's Lover. Tipografia Giuntina
• 30 December 1990: Bennett, Tony (unknown year). Autobiography. Unknown publisher

1991

• 24 March 1991: Legge, Gordon (1989). The Shoe.
• 26 October 1991: Savage, Jon (1991). England's Dreaming.

1992

• 16 February 1992 (BFBS): Travis, Dave Lee (1986). Bit Of A Star. Kodak
• 29 May 1992: Mick Mercer (1992). Gothic Rock: All You Ever Wanted to Know....But Were Too Gormless to Ask. Cleopatra Records
• Chain Reaction: David Gedge Interviews John Peel (Transcript): Burchill, Julie & Parsons, Tony (1987). The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll. Faber & Faber
• Best Of Peel Vol 46: Unknown author (1611). King James Bible. Robert Parker

2000

• 06 January 2000: Shelley, Mary (1818). Frankenstein. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones

2001

• 11 April 2001: Mathews, Arthur (2001). Well Remembered Days: Eoin O'Ceallaigh's Memoirs of a Twentieth-century Irish Catholic. Macmillan
• 20 June 2001: Mathews, Arthur (2001). Well Remembered Days: Eoin O'Ceallaigh's Memoirs of a Twentieth-century Irish Catholic. Macmillan
• 04 October 2001: Bradley, Lloyd (2001). This Is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music. Grove Press
• A Good Read: Peel's choice is Mathews, Arthur (2001). Well Remembered Days. Macmillan. The programme also features Chevalier, Tracy (1999). Girl With A Pearl Earring. Harper Collins / Slocum, Joshua (1900). Sailing Alone Around The World. Adlard Coles Nautical.

2002

• 23 April 2002: Mathews, Arthur (2001). Well Remembered Days: Eoin O'Ceallaigh's Memoirs of a Twentieth-century Irish Catholic. Macmillan

2003

• 20 February 2003: Unknown author (Unknown year). John Lennon Sometime In 1969. Unknown publisher
• 15 April 2003: Thompson, Andrew & Hale, Steve. This Is Anfield. Genesis Publications [15]

Magazines / Newspapers

• Disc & Music Echo [16] Gillett, Charlie (1970) The Sound Of The City
• International Times [17]:
  - Roche, Peter, (ed.) (1967) The New Love Poetry. Corgi
  - Hesse, Hermann (1922): Siddhartha
  - Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de (1943): The Little Prince
  - Pauwels, Louis and Bergier, Jacques (1963): The Dawn of Magic (also known as The Morning of the Magicians)
• International Times [18]: Juster, Norton (1961): The Phantom Tolbooth. Puffin
  
• International Times [19]: Patten, Brian (1969): Notes For The Running Man. Allen and Unwin
• NME: Portrait Of The Artist As A Consumer:
  - Anthony Powell: A Dance To The Music Of Time
  - A gloomy book my mother has about medieval medicine
  - Anything by J.B. Morton (Beachcomber)
  - Histories rather than fictions
  - Samuel Pepys (1633-1703): The Pepys Diaries (first published 1893, available online here)
  - Boy's Own annuals from the '50s
• Observer [20]: Hornby, Nick (2002). 31 Songs. McSweeney's
• Observer [21]: Thompson, Andrew & Hale, Steve (2002). This Is Anfield. Genesis
• Offbeat Magazine [22]: Betrock, Alan (1986).The I Was a Teenage Juvenile Delinquent Rock'N'Roll Horror Beach Party Movie Book: A Complete Guide to the Teen Exploitation Film, 1954-1969. St Martins
• Offbeat Magazine [23]: Pepys, Samuel (1960). The Diaries of Samuel Pepys. Harper
• Smash Hits [24]: Gibbon, Edward (1776-1789). The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Strahan & Cadell
• Smash Hits [25]: Massie, Robert (1980). Peter The Great. W&N
• Third Way [26]: Crompton, Richmal (1922). Just William. George Newnes

Auctioned

On 14 June 2022, a limited number of rare records and other items from the Peel archive were put up for auction, including several lots of books:

• Crass: A Unique and Hand-Made Booklet For Crass's Recording Session, From The Band To John Peel, 28th March 1979. Sold for £1,912.50 inc. premium. [27]
• John Lennon/Yoko Ono: A Signed Copy Of Yoko Ono's 'Grapefruit'. First Sphere Books Edition, 1971. Sold for £5,100 inc. premium. [28]
• Phil Lynott: An Autographed Copy Of His Book 'Songs For While I'm Away', Pippen Publishers, 1974. Sold for £1,530 inc. premium.[29]
• American Music: A Selection of Books From John Peel's Library (12). Sold for £318.75 inc. premium. [30]
  - Elvis: The Complete Illustrated Record by Roy Carr & Mick Farren (1982) with press release from Eel Pie Publishing;
  - Elvis My Brother by Billy Stanley (1990);
  - American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n Roll Empire by John A. Jackson (1997);
  - Woody Guthrie: A Life by Joe Klein (1980);
  - Tarantula by Bob Dylan (1971);
  - The Life and Times of Little Richard by Charles White (1984);
  - Dizzy To Be of Not To Bop: The Autobiography by John Birks Gillespie (1980);
  - Congo Colossus: The Life & Legacy of Franco & OK Jazz by Graeme Ewens (1994);
  - Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams by Chet Flippo (1982);
  - Lyrics 1962-1985 by Bob Dylan (1987);
  - Motown: The History by Sharon Davis (1988) with press release insert;
  - Be Elvis: A Guide To Impersonating The King by Rick Marino (2000)
• Pop Music: A Selection Of Books From John Peel's Library (12). Sold for £318.75 inc. premium.[31]
  - The Illustrated History Of Pop by Paul Flattery (1973);
  - The Glastonbury Festivals by Lynne Elstob & Anne Howes (1987);
  - Critic's Choice Top 200 Albums by Paul Gambaccini (1978);
  - The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles by Jo & Tim Rice (1977);
  - Desert Island Discs by Sean Magee (2012);
  - British Hit Singles' by Paul Gambaccini, Tim Rice & Jonathan Rice (1993);
  - African Pop Roots: The Inside Rhythms of Africa by John Collins (1985);
  - The Secret History of Kate Bush & the Strange Art of Pop by Fred Vermorel (1983);
  - Pop Styles by Ted Polhemus & Lynn Procter (1984) with inserts from the authors;
  - 40 Years of NME Charts by Dafydd Rees, Barry Lazell & Roger Osborne (1992);
  - Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 by Graham Betts (2004);
  - Jukebox Saturday Night by J.Krivine (1977)
• Punk: A Selection Of Books From John Peel's Library (6). Sold for £612 inc. premium.[32]
  - Not Another Punk Book by Aurum Press (1978);
  - An Ideal For Living: A History of Joy Division by Mark Johnson (1984);
  - Rebel Rock: A Photographic Record of The Sex Pistols Last Tour of Europe and England by Dennis Morris (1985) with a letter from Susanna Frye at Epoch Productions Ltd;
  - Up-Tight: The Velvet Underground by Victor Brockris & Gerald Malanga (1983);
  - Stiff: The Story of a Record Label by Bert Muirhead (1983);
  - I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol by Glen Matlock (1990)
• Rock & Roll Music: A Selection of Books From John Peel's Library (10). Sold for £255 inc. premium.[33]
  - A Decade of The Who by Fabulous Music Ltd (1977) with letter from the publishers;
  - The Rock Year Book 1981 by Michael Gross & Maxim Jakubowski (1980);
  - The Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll by Jim Miller (1981) with press release insert;
  - 25 Years of Rock by John Tobler & Pete Frame with introduction by Elton John (1980);
  - Blues: The British Collection by Bob Brunning (1986);
  - Rebel Rock: The Politics of Popular Music by John Street (1986);
  - David Robert Jones Bowie: The Discography of a Generalist 1962-1979 by David Jeffrey Fletcher (1979) with letter from Fletcher and press release for the book;
  - Chuck Berry: The Autobiography by Chuck Berry (1987);
  - The Great Rock Discography by Martin C. Strong (1998);
  - The Music's All That Matters: A History of Progressive Rock by Paul Stump (1997)

See Also

• 
  Fall: In August 1989, around the time of his 50th birthday, Peel was pictured with members of his favourite band while holding a copy of Colours Of My Life (Everest Books) by Malcolm Allison (1975).[34] The autobiography of the former Manchester City manager was the favourite football book of Mark E Smith.[35]
• Night Ride Poets
• Barbara Cartland: The prolific romantic novelist (and step-grandmother of Princess Diana) released an an LP, ‘Album of Love Songs’, which unexpectedly picked up plays on the John Peel wingding.
• John Peel(2): The subject of this site shared his professional name with, among others, a British writer best known for his TV series tie-in novels and novelisations, as noted by the DJ in an article for Radio Times.
• Dylan Thomas: The celebrated Welsh poet was sampled by Stylus, played by Peel.
• Scorn: Compendium of literary invective, edited by Matthew Parris, owned by Peel.
• Record Collection: Auction
• Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns
• Sounds