The Virgin All-Time Top 1,000 Albums by Colin Larkin (Virgin £14.99)
Every rocker loves a good list, and this one will satisfy any trainspotter. Compiled from over 100,000 votes by fans, experts and critics, this tome doubles as a handy reference guide to modern rock, with production notes, historical details, track listings and cover art.
A Century Of Pop by Hugh Gregory (Hamlyn £25)
A lavishly-illustrated coffee-table tome tracing the history of popular music from Big Bands to Britpop. A great overview of pop music from its Vaudeville beginnings to its current techno forms - check out the pics of pop stars through the decades, and you'll realise that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics edited by Alan Aldridge (Music Sales £20)
No rock 'n' roll Christmas is complete without a Beatles book, and this one wins hands down for its visual quality and sing-along potential. With contributions by artists including David Bailey, David Hockney, Ronald Searle, Ralph Steadman and Clive Arrowsmith, this is a psychedelic portrait of the Fab Four in pictures and words.
More Rock Family Trees by Pete Frame (Omnibus £12.99)
The world's most eminent rock 'n' roll genealogist takes another trip through rock's family history, chronicling the line-up changes in bands such as Pink Floyd and The Velvet Underground, and untangling the musical webs of the Greenwich Village folk-rock scene, progrock, Manchester and the "Paisley Underground" of L.A. circa 1985.