Five books on guitars

One title from the Barnes & Noble Review's list of five books on "the history, craft and voice of the six-stringed heart of American music:"

Instruments of Desire
by Steve Waksman

This crash course on the historical and cultural significance of the electric version of the instrument puts the essentials -- sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll -- right at its amplified heart. Steve Waksman begins in the thirties, with the evolving guitar's galvanizing effect on blues, and country, going on to chart what would emerge as rock. Along the way he riffs on the lives of some of the most influential electric players, including Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Jimmy Page.

Read about the other books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue