David Bowie, an iconic figure in the world of music, was known for his eclectic style and groundbreaking contributions to the music industry. Born David Robert Jones in London in 1947, Bowie's career spanned over five decades, during which he reinvented himself and his music numerous times, influencing many genres from glam rock and punk to electronica and pop. His alter egos, most famously Ziggy Stardust, allowed him to explore different musical styles and societal themes, cementing his status as a pioneer of contemporary music and culture. Bowie's hits like "Space Oddity," "Heroes," and "Under Pressure" remain timeless classics that continue to resonate with audiences around the world.
❝I'm a real self-educated kind of guy. I read voraciously. Every book I ever bought, I have. I can't throw them away. It's actually a burden.❞ — David Bowie
Bowie's intellectual pursuits extended far beyond music; he was an avid reader with a deep love for literature. His wide-ranging tastes included classics, contemporary novels, historical biographies, and philosophical texts. This love of books not only influenced his songwriting—often weaving complex narratives into his lyrics—but also informed his views on life and art. Bowie's personal library was extensive, reflecting his voracious appetite for knowledge and his interest in a plethora of subjects, from the occult to modern art. His reading habit fed into his artistic process, often providing inspiration for his music videos, stage designs, and public personas.
David Bowie's Favorite Books
Last Updated: June 2024
On Having No Head
Author: Douglas Edison Harding
Publisher: Shollond Trust
Date: Jul 8th, 2013
D.E. Harding's philosophical work challenges the reader's everyday perspective of self by exploring the idea of a "headless" way of being, using a unique blend of experiential exercises and contemplative practices to question the fundamental nature of experience and identity.
Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir
Author: Anatole Broyard
Publisher: Crown Pub
Date: Sep 16th, 1993
Anatole Broyard recounts his post-WWII years in Greenwich Village, a vibrant and bohemian hub, where he navigated young adulthood and intellectual awakening among influential writers and artists.
The Songlines
Author: Bruce Chatwin
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: Jun 26th, 2012
Bruce Chatwin offers a fascinating blend of travel narrative and philosophical inquiry into the Australian Aboriginal people's traditional network of 'Songlines,' pathways that crisscross the continent, through which they navigate and maintain their culture.
Last Exit to Brooklyn: A Novel
Author: JR. Selby Hubert
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date: Sep 16th, 2024
Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel presents a gritty, unflinching look at the lives of the residents of an impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood, exploring themes of violence, sexuality, and survival in a chaotic urban environment.
On the Road
Author: Jack Kerouac
Publisher: Library of America
Date: Sep 1st, 2007
Jack Kerouac's seminal Beat novel, based on his own travels across America, captures the spirit of freedom and longing for meaning through the adventures of Sal Paradise and his charismatic friend Dean Moriarty.
The Insult
Author: Rupert Thomson
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Date: Aug 27th, 1996
Rupert Thomson's novel follows the story of a man who, after being shot in the head and left with partial blindness, starts to perceive things he shouldn't be able to see, leading him down a mysterious and suspenseful path.
All The Emperors Horses
Author: David Kidd
Publisher: Legare Street Press
Date: Oct 26th, 2022
David Kidd recounts his experiences living in China before the Communist revolution, offering a vivid portrayal of the aristocracy's opulent lifestyle and the cultural shocks he encounters as an American.
The Age of American Unreason
Author: Susan Jacoby
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: Feb 12th, 2008
Susan Jacoby critiques the decline of intellectual and rational thought in American society, linking historical trends with contemporary issues in culture and politics that celebrate ignorance over knowledge.
The Master and Margarita
Author: Mikhail Bulgakov
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: May 3rd, 2016
Mikhail Bulgakov's fantastical, satirical novel features the Devil visiting Soviet Russia, intertwining the lives of Margarita, her beloved Master who is an oppressed writer, and historical figures, ultimately exploring themes of good and evil, love, and redemption.
The American Way of Death Revisited
Author: Jessica Mitford
Publisher: Vintage
Date: Jan 4th, 2000
Jessica Mitford's exposé revisits and updates her original critique of the American funeral industry, highlighting the often exploitative practices that take advantage of grieving families.
Life And Times Of Little Richard: The Authorized Biography
Author: Charles White
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Date: May 7th, 2024
Charles White chronicles the flamboyant life and groundbreaking musical career of Little Richard, one of the pioneers of rock 'n' roll, whose energy and style influenced many artists.
White Noise
Author: Don DeLillo
Publisher: Picador
Date: Feb 17th, 2022
Don DeLillo's novel satirizes the ubiquity of mass media and the complexity of family dynamics in contemporary America, following a professor who specializes in Hitler studies as he grapples with a toxic airborne event and existential dread.
Interviews with Francis Bacon
Author: David Sylvester
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Date: Nov 15th, 2016
David Sylvester compiles insightful interviews with the renowned painter Francis Bacon, discussing his artistic theories, his approach to painting, and his views on the chaotic beauty of the human form.
Wonder Boys
Author: Michael Chabon
Publisher: Villard
Date: Mar 14th, 1995
Michael Chabon's novel chronicles a chaotic weekend in the life of a university professor and unsuccessful author as he struggles to manage his complicated love life, finish his overdue novel, and deal with his eccentric students.
Strange People: Unusual Humans Who Have Baffled the World
Author: Frank Edwards
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Date: May 4th, 2017
Frank Edwards delves into the lives of individuals with extraordinary abilities and peculiar circumstances, from historical figures to modern marvels, exploring the mysteries and anomalies of human nature.
Hawksmoor
Author: Peter Ackroyd
Publisher: Harpercollins
Date: Sep 16th, 1985
Peter Ackroyd's novel is a haunting tale of architecture, murder, and mystery, intertwining the story of Nicholas Dyer, an 18th-century architect who builds churches designed for devil worship, and a 20th-century detective investigating related murders.
A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Date: Oct 22nd, 2012
Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel centers on Alex, a delinquent teen who revels in acts of violence, and the state's extreme attempts at reforming him, raising questions about free will, the nature of evil, and the potential for redemption.
The Quest for Christa T.
Author: Christa Wolf
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date: Nov 1st, 1979
Christa Wolf's novel follows the life of Christa T., a woman coming of age in East Germany, as she navigates the complexities of her own aspirations against the backdrop of a restrictive socialist regime, exploring themes of individuality and conformity.
Silence: Lectures and Writings
Author: John Cage
Publisher: Wesleyan University Press
Date: Oct 26th, 2011
John Cage's profound collection reflects on his revolutionary ideas about music, sound, and silence, presenting a philosophical journey that challenges traditional notions of what music can be and the role of the artist in society.
Fingersmith
Author: Sarah Waters
Publisher: Virago Press
Date: Jan 1st, 2022
Sarah Waters' novel set in Victorian England intricately plots the lives of two women, a pickpocket and a lady, whose fates are intertwined in a story filled with deceit, betrayal, and unexpected twists.
Nights at the Circus
Author: Old Tom Morris
Publisher: Oberon Books
Date: Jan 1st, 2007
Angela Carter's novel follows Sophie Fevvers, a circus aerialist who claims to be part woman, part swan, on a fantastical journey from London to Siberia at the turn of the 20th century, blending magical realism with feminist themes.
Journey into the Whirlwind: The Critically Acclaimed Memoir of Stalin's Reign of Terror
Author: Eugenia Ginzburg
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date: Nov 4th, 2002
Eugenia Ginzburg's harrowing account of her eighteen-year ordeal in the Soviet gulag system provides an intimate and devastating look into the brutalities of Stalin's political purges.
The Trial of Henry Kissinger
Author: Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: Verso
Date: May 1st, 2001
Christopher Hitchens presents a scathing examination of Henry Kissinger's involvement in international politics, accusing the former U.S. Secretary of State of committing war crimes and calling for legal accountability.
Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock ‘n’ Roll Music
Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Date: Sep 16th, 2024
Greil Marcus explores the cultural and social impact of rock ‘n' roll on American society through the music and lives of six key artists, offering a profound insight into the way rock music reflects and shapes American identity.
Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews
Author: Paris Review
Publisher: Viking Pr
Date: Sep 16th, 1977
This compilation from "The Paris Review" features a series of interviews with some of the twentieth century's most influential writers, providing rare and profound insights into their writing processes and literary techniques.
Puckoon
Author: Spike Milligan
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date: Jun 24th, 1976
Spike Milligan's comedic novel is set in 1924, centered around the fictional Irish village of Puckoon, where the boundary commission has divided the village in two, leading to a series of absurd and hilarious consequences for the locals.
Metropolitan Life
Author: Fran Lebowitz
Publisher: Fawcett
Date: Aug 12th, 1982
Fran Lebowitz's collection of witty, sardonic essays offers her unique and humorous perspectives on American life, culture, and societal idiosyncrasies.
The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness
Author: R. D. Laing
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date: Aug 30th, 1965
R.D. Laing's groundbreaking psychological work examines the nature of self and the struggle for authenticity as central themes in the experiences of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, challenging traditional views on mental illness.
1984
Author: George Orwell
Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
Date: Apr 4th, 2017
George Orwell's dystopian novel depicts a totalitarian regime under the omnipresent surveillance of Big Brother, where individuality and free thought are crushed, warning of the dire consequences of political authoritarianism.
A Confederacy of Dunces
Author: John Kennedy Toole
Publisher: LSU Press
Date: Aug 11th, 2014
John Kennedy Toole's comedic masterpiece features Ignatius J. Reilly, an eccentric, lazy, and philosophically inclined man who embarks on various misadventures in New Orleans, reflecting the city's colorful spectrum of characters.
In Bluebeard's Castle: Some Notes Towards the Redefinition of Culture
Author: George Steiner
Publisher: Yale University Press
Date: Sep 10th, 1974
George Steiner's series of essays critically examines modern Western culture, questioning its progress and sustainability in the wake of historical atrocities and shifting moral landscapes.
The Coast of Utopia Trilogy 'Voyage', 'Shipwreck', 'Salvage
Author: Tom Stoppard
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Date: Sep 16th, 2024
Tom Stoppard's trio of plays explores the philosophical and political upheavals of 19th-century Russia through the lives and intellectual struggles of pre-revolutionary reformers and thinkers.
Money: A Suicide Note
Author: Martin Amis
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date: Jun 29th, 2010
Martin Amis's novel is a darkly comic satire of the excesses of the 1980s, narrated by John Self, an advertising director who spirals into self-destruction amid the decadence and consumerism of London and New York.
A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924
Author: Orlando Figes
Publisher: Viking Adult
Date: Mar 1st, 1997
Orlando Figes provides a comprehensive and empathetic account of the Russian Revolution, weaving individual stories with the larger historical narrative to illustrate the human cost and the social and political upheaval that transformed Russia.
City of Night
Author: John Rechy
Publisher: Grove Press
Date: Nov 12th, 2013
John Rechy's novel is a groundbreaking portrayal of underground life and subculture in the 1960s, following a young man's journey through America's major cities as he grapples with his identity as a gay hustler.
Billy Liar
Author: Keith Waterhouse
Publisher: Valancourt Books
Date: Oct 24th, 2023
Keith Waterhouse's novel follows a day in the life of Billy Fisher, a young man from a working-class English family who escapes his mundane life through vivid daydreams, while struggling with his desires versus societal expectations.
Black Boy
Author: Richard Wright
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
Date: Apr 29th, 2008
Richard Wright's autobiography details his youth in the Jim Crow South, documenting his fight against racial prejudice and his eventual move north, capturing the systemic injustices and personal battles that define the African-American experience.
Earthly Powers
Author: Anthony Burgess
Publisher: Random House
Date: Sep 16th, 2024
Anthony Burgess's sweeping novel explores the life and times of a homosexual writer who traverses the significant historical and cultural shifts of the 20th century, questioning themes of power, religion, and morality.
The Sound of the City : The Rise of Rock and Roll
Author: Charlie Gillett
Publisher: Souvenir Press Ltd.
Date: Sep 16th, 1970
Charlie Gillett's influential book traces the origins and evolution of rock and roll music from its roots in blues, country, and gospel through its proliferation into various subgenres, emphasizing its role as a cultural force in post-war urban America.
Before the Deluge: Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s
Author: Otto Friedrich
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date: Oct 13th, 1995
Otto Friedrich provides a vivid portrayal of Berlin during the Weimar Republic, a period marked by cultural flourishing as well as political and social turmoil, illustrating the city's influential arts scene and the shadows of impending disaster.
Herzog
Author: Saul Bellow
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: Feb 25th, 2003
Saul Bellow's novel follows Moses Herzog, a man in crisis who seeks meaning in his chaotic life through unsent letters to friends and famous figures, blending intellectual inquiry with deep personal reflection.
In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Publisher: Modern Library
Date: Feb 19th, 2013
Truman Capote's groundbreaking work of narrative non-fiction meticulously details the brutal 1959 murders of a Kansas farmer and his family, exploring the psychological depth of the crime and its impact on the community.
A People's History of the United States
Author: Howard Zinn
Publisher: Harper
Date: Apr 18th, 2017
Howard Zinn presents an alternative perspective on American history, focusing on the struggles and contributions of working-class people, minorities, and women typically overlooked by conventional historical narratives.
Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie
Author: Muriel Spark
Publisher: Penguin Books Limited
Muriel Spark's novel depicts an unorthodox teacher in a conservative girls' school in Edinburgh, whose influence over her young students molds their education and outlook with sometimes questionable ethics and personal consequences.
Tales of Beatnik Glory
Author: Ed Sanders
Publisher: Citadel Pr
Date: Sep 16th, 1990
Ed Sanders offers a series of interconnected stories set in the 1950s and 60s that capture the essence of the Beat and countercultural movements across America, reflecting on the era's influence and the lives of its people.
Room at the Top
Author: John Braine
Publisher: Valancourt Books
Date: Jul 21st, 2023
John Braine's novel follows the ambitious Joe Lampton, who seeks social mobility in post-war England through calculated charm and relationships, exploring themes of class, power, and personal integrity.
The Fire Next Time
Author: James Baldwin
Publisher: Vintage
Date: Dec 1st, 1992
James Baldwin's profound exploration of race in America, delivered through two essays that examine his early life in Harlem and a more philosophical exploration of racial identity and relationships.
Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology
Author: Lawrence Weschler
Publisher: Pantheon
Date: Oct 10th, 1995
Lawrence Weschler explores the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, delving into its collection of scientific wonders and curiosities that challenge the boundaries between the real, the improbable, and the fake.
Inside the Whale
Author: George Orwell
Publisher: Renard Press
Date: Nov 15th, 2022
A collection of essays by George Orwell, including the famous title essay which analyzes the social and political environment leading up to World War II, as well as literary criticism and reflections on the role of the writer.
Selected Poems of Frank O'Hara
Author: Frank O'Hara
Publisher: Knopf
Date: Sep 8th, 2009
This collection showcases the vibrant, spontaneous, and emotionally expressive poetry of Frank O'Hara, capturing the dynamic essence of urban life and the New York art scene of the mid-20th century.
Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom
Author: Peter Guralnick
Publisher: Harper & Row
Date: Feb 1st, 1986
Peter Guralnick delves into the history of soul music, profiling its key figures like Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, and Aretha Franklin, and illustrating how the genre not only transformed American music but also significantly impacted the civil rights movement.
Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth Culture: 1875-1945
Author: Jon Savage
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date: Mar 25th, 2008
Jon Savage provides a detailed history of the emergence of teenagers as a distinct demographic, exploring how their identity was shaped in the years before they were recognized as a significant cultural force.
Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Date: Mar 13th, 1989
Vladimir Nabokov's controversial masterpiece narrates the obsessive and doomed love of Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged literature professor, for Dolores Haze, a prepubescent girl, exposing dark themes under the guise of eloquent prose.
The Outsider
Author: Colin Wilson
Publisher: TarcherPerigee
Date: Sep 1st, 1987
Colin Wilson's non-fiction work investigates the role of the outsider in modern society, examining the lives and works of various historical figures and artists to understand the alienation and creative dissatisfaction that characterize those living on the fringes of social norms.
The Street
Author: Ann Petry
Publisher: Mariner Books Classics
Date: Jan 7th, 2020
Ann Petry's novel portrays the struggles of Lutie Johnson, a single black mother in 1940s Harlem striving for economic independence and a better life for her son amidst racism, sexism, and a harsh urban environment.
The Bird Artist
Author: Howard Norman
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date: Jul 1st, 1994
Howard Norman's novel set in a remote Newfoundland coastal village in the early 20th century tells the story of Fabian Vas, a bird artist, who confesses to the murder of the lighthouse keeper, revealing the complex interrelations and dark secrets of the village.
Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson
Author: Camille Paglia
Publisher: Yale University Press
Date: Sep 10th, 1990
Camille Paglia offers a provocative analysis linking the development of Western culture to the interplay between sexuality and art, tracing its influence through various historical figures and artworks.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Author: Junot Díaz
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Date: Sep 6th, 2007
Junot Díaz's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel combines magical realism and historical commentary, telling the tragic and humorous story of Oscar, an overweight Dominican boy growing up in New Jersey, who dreams of becoming a writer and finding love.
Flaubert's Parrot
Author: Julian Barnes
Publisher: Knopf
Date: Feb 12th, 1985
Julian Barnes crafts a unique literary detective story, where an obsessive scholar seeks to find the truth about Gustave Flaubert by investigating a stuffed parrot that once belonged to the writer.
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Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock
Author: Nik Cohn
Publisher: Grove Press
Date: Nov 4th, 2001
Nik Cohn presents a passionate and stylistic overview of the early years of rock music, from the 1950s to the early 70s, filled with personal anecdotes and vibrant character sketches of the genre's major figures.
David Bomberg
Author: Mr. Richard Cork
Publisher: Yale University Press
Date: Feb 24th, 1988
This biography explores the life and work of David Bomberg, an influential British painter known for his bold, expressionistic style, whose art traversed the tumultuous developments of the early 20th century.
Darkness at Noon: A Novel
Author: Arthur Koestler
Publisher: Scribner
Date: Sep 17th, 2019
Arthur Koestler's powerful political novel set during the Stalinist purges and Moscow show trials of the 1930s, follows an aging revolutionary, Rubashov, as he undergoes imprisonment and psychological torture, questioning his past beliefs and the morality of his political actions.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
Author: Yukio Mishima
Publisher: Vintage
Date: May 31st, 1994
Yukio Mishima's novel explores the stark and often disturbing clash between traditional Japanese values and the nihilistic ethos of modern youth, through the story of a group of young boys and a sailor they idolize and ultimately betray.
In Between the Sheets
Author: Ian McEwan
Publisher: Anchor
Date: Nov 1st, 1994
Ian McEwan's short story collection delves into complex, often unsettling themes of human relationships, sexuality, and isolation, showcasing his knack for dark humor and psychological insight.
The Leopard: A Novel
Author: Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Publisher: Vintage Classics
Date: Apr 4th, 2024
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's classic novel set in 19th-century Sicily, chronicling the decline of the aristocracy represented by the aging Prince of Salina and the rise of the new class during the Italian unification.
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Author: Julian Jaynes
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Date: Sep 16th, 1976
Julian Jaynes presents a controversial theory that human consciousness arose as a recent development in history, linked to the breakdown of a previous mind-state where decisions were made through auditory hallucinations believed to be the voices of gods.
The Gnostic Gospels
Author: Elaine Pagels
Publisher: Random House
Date: Nov 12th, 1979
Elaine Pagels examines a collection of early Christian texts discovered in Egypt, offering insights into the diverse beliefs and practices of early Christianity and the political implications of the narratives canonized in the New Testament.
Beyond the Brillo Box: The Visual Arts in Post-Historical Perspective
Author: Arthur Coleman Danto
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Date: Aug 25th, 1992
Arthur Danto explores the philosophy and complexities of contemporary art, discussing how art has evolved in meaning and practice since the era of Andy Warhol, and what these changes reflect about cultural shifts.
Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music
Author: Gerri Hirshey
Publisher: Crown
Date: Jun 12th, 1984
Gerri Hirshey provides an in-depth look at the world of soul music, covering its greatest artists and their music, set against the backdrop of social and cultural changes in America during the 1960s and 70s.