31 Songs
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| Author | Nick Hornby |
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| Illustrator | Marcel Dzama |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | McSweeney's |
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Publication date
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2002 |
| ISBN | |
Songbook (published in the United Kingdom as 31 Songs) is a 2002 collection of 26 essays by English writer Nick Hornby about songs and (more often) the particular emotional resonance they carry for him. In the UK, Sony released a stand-alone CD, A Selection of Music from 31 Songs, featuring 18 songs. The hardcover edition of Songbook, published in the US by McSweeney's and illustrated by Marcel Dzama, includes a CD with 11 of the songs featured in the book.
The music varies from established classics like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan to independents like Ani DiFranco, Top 40 pop like Nelly Furtado, and a few songs with special meaning only to Hornby. Song by song, Hornby delves into what makes music catchy or classic, and how it can come to play an integral role in a person's emotional life.
Proceeds from the book go to the TreeHouse Trust, a UK charity operating a school for children with autism and communications disorders, which Hornby's son attends, and to 826 Valencia, a US-based learning center, founded by McSweeney's publisher Dave Eggers, that offers writing workshops and tutoring.
The paperback edition of Songbook adds a few music-related essays by Hornby from other sources.
After the release of "Songbook," McSweeney accepted online submissions from authors writing about their favourite songs in the same manner as Hornby. These submissions were posted to the McSweeney website. After Hornby mentioned he was a fan in Songbook, Ben Folds contacted him and Hornby wrote the song "That's Me Trying" for William Shatner's album Has Been.
There are 31 songs, but only 26 essays; in a few instances, several songs are discussed within a single piece.
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