The untold story of a quirky and important subculture: The world of
78rpm records and the insular community that celebrates them--by
acclaimed music critic and author Amanda Petrusich, who contributes
regularly to "Pitchfork," "The Oxford American," and "The New York
Times."
Before MP3s, CDs, and cassette tapes, even before LPs or 45s, the
world listened to music on 78rpm records--those fragile, 10-inch
shellac discs. While vinyl records have enjoyed a renaissance in
recent years, good 78s are exponentially harder to come by and
play. A recent eBay auction for the only known copy of a particular
record topped out at $37,100. "Do Not Sell at Any Price "explores
the rarified world of the 78rpm record--from the format's heyday to
its near extinction--and how collectors and archivists are working
frantically to preserve the music before it's lost forever.
Through fascinating historical research and beguiling visits with
the most prominent 78 preservers, Amanda Petrusich offers both a
singular glimpse of the world of 78 collecting and the lost
backwoods blues artists whose 78s from the 1920s and 1930s have yet
to be found or heard by modern ears. We follow the author's descent
into the oddball fraternity of collectors--including adventures
with Joe Bussard, Chris King, John Tefteller, Pete Whelan, and
more--who create and follow their own rules, vocabulary, and
economics and explore the elemental genres of blues, folk, jazz,
and gospel that gave seed to the rock, pop, country, and hip-hop we
hear today. From Thomas Edison to Jack White, "Do Not Sell at Any
Price "is an untold, intriguing story of preservation, loss,
obsession, art, and the evolution of the recording formats that
have changed the ways we listen to (and create) music.
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