BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics Hardback - 2000

by Robert Gottlieb (Editor); Robert Kimball (Editor)

Add to wish list

Featuring the works of more than 100 American and British song writers from 1900 to 1975, this anthology is a magnificent gathering of lyrics whose power to stir memories of longing and desire, to evoke romance, remains undiminished.

Reader reviews for Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

From the publisher

A comprehensive anthology bringing together more than one thousand of the best American and English song lyrics of the twentieth century; an extraordinary celebration of a unique art form and an indispensable reference work and history that celebrates one of the twentieth century's most enduring and cherished legacies.

Reading Lyrics begins with the first masters of the colloquial phrase, including George M. Cohan ("Give My Regards to Broadway"), P. G. Wodehouse ("Till the Clouds Roll By"), and Irving Berlin, whose versatility and career span the period from "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to "Annie Get Your Gun" and beyond. The Broadway musical emerges as a distinct dramatic form in the 1920s and 1930s, its evolution propelled by a trio of lyricists--Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, and Lorenz Hart--whose explorations of the psychological and emotional nuances of falling in and out of love have lost none of their wit and sophistication. Their songs, including "Night and Day," "The Man I Love," and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," have become standards performed and recorded by generation after generation of singers. The lure of Broadway and Hollywood and the performing genius of such artists as Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Ethel Waters, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Ethel Merman inspired a remarkable array of talented writers, including Dorothy Fields ("A Fine Romance," "I Can't Give You Anything but Love"), Frank Loesser ("Guys and Dolls"), Oscar Hammerstein II (from the groundbreaking "Show Boat" of 1927 through his extraordinary collaboration with Richard Rodgers), Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg, Andy Razaf, Nol Coward, and Stephen Sondheim.

Reading Lyrics also celebrates the work of dozens of superb craftsmen whose songs remain known, but who today are themselves less known--writers like Haven Gillespie (whose "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" may be the most widely recorded song of its era); Herman Hupfeld (not only the composer/lyricist of "As Time Goes By" but also of "Are You Makin' Any Money?" and "When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba"); the great light versifier Ogden Nash ("Speak Low," "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," and, yes, "The Sea-Gull and the Ea-Gull"); Don Raye ("Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Mister Five by Five," and, of course, "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet"); Bobby Troup ("Route 66"); Billy Strayhorn (not only for the omnipresent "Lush Life" but for "Something to Live For" and "A Lonely Coed"); Peggy Lee (not only a superb singer but also an original and appealing lyricist); and the unique Dave Frishberg ("I'm Hip," "Peel Me a Grape," "Van Lingo Mungo").

The lyricists are presented chronologically, each introduced by a succinct biography and the incisive commentary of Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball.

First line

BY HALF a dozen years the oldest contributor to this book, Boston-born Anne Caldwell was active in Broadway musicals for more than twenty years, beginning in I907.

Details

  • Title Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
  • Author Robert Gottlieb (Editor); Robert Kimball (Editor)
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition 1st Edition
  • Pages 736
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Pantheon Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Publication date November 21, 2000
  • Features Index
  • ISBN 9780375400810 / 0375400818
  • Weight 2.53 lbs (1.15 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.66 x 7.04 x 1.47 in (24.54 x 17.88 x 3.73 cm)
  • Category Music/Songbooks
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 99088811
  • Dewey Decimal Code 782.421

Media reviews

“Indispensable, stellar new anthology. This eclectic book provides enough humor, romance and sophistication to make you forget that Seussical even existed.”
—Jason Zinoman, Time Out New York

“This music is an amazing art form; it’s a substantial cultural phenomenon.”
—Newsweek

Reading Lyrics is both a groundbreaking social document and its own pleasure dome. Its seven hundred and six pages confirm the accomplishments of the greats, but they also provide surprises.”
The New Yorker

“America was the laboratory that proved Plato’s contention that songs are ‘spells for souls for the creation of concord.’ If you read between the lines of many of the lyrics in the anthology, you hear an alarmed society calming its frazzled nerves.”
—The New Yorker

“[Reading Lyrics] defies literary categorization. It’s reference work. It’s a singalong book . . . It’s a shadow history of taste and mores over much of the past century. It’s a valentine to a now-vanished artistic craft. And it’s an act of fond provocation.”
—The Boston Globe

Reading Lyrics demonstrates one of the may magic tricks that words can do: the way that letters and lines on a page can (with years of practice) learn how to carry a tune.”
—Elle

“With around 170 lyricists on offer, the book makes its share of worthwhile rediscoveries . . . That’s the fun of Reading Lyrics. Readers can hum along with songs they know, while songs they don’t will have them hurrying off to the nearest music megastore.”
The New York Times Book Review

“Sparklingly entertaining, Reading Lyrics exalts the lyrical sublimity of such cunning wordsmiths as Porter, Gershwin, and Coward.”
Vanity Fair

“Tuneless, but what joy! . . . For no sooner do the lyrics appear before one’s eyes than reading gives way to song.”
Billboard Magazine

“This wondrous and magical concoction is highly recommended.”
—Wall Street Journal

“This is one of the finest collections of words there is. To quote P.G. Wodehouse. . . ‘And I wish someday I could find my way/To the land where the good songs go.’ That land is Reading Lyrics. ‘S wonderful.” —Newsday

Citations

  • Booklist, 08/01/2000, Page 2096
  • Choice, 05/01/2001, Page 1604
  • Library Journal, 08/01/2000, Page 107
  • Library Journal Prepub Alert, 04/15/2000, Page 65
  • New York Times, 12/03/2000, Page 7
  • New Yorker (The), 12/11/2000, Page 120
  • Publishers Weekly, 12/18/2000, Page 74

About the author

ROBERT GOTTLIEB is the former Editor-in-Chief of Alfred A. Knopf and of The New Yorker. He is the dance critic for the New York Observer and author of George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker. He has previously edited Reading Jazz, Reading Lyrics (with Robert Kimball), the Everyman's Library edition of The Collected Stories of Rudyard Kipling, and The Journals of John Cheever.

ROBERT KIMBALL is the editor of The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter, The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin, and The Complete Lyrics of Lorenz Hart and is the co-editor of The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin.

More Copies for Sale

Reading Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.46
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Pantheon, 11/21/2000 12:00:01. hardcover. Good. 1.6000 in x 9.2000 in x 7.1000 in. The dust jacket shows normal wear.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.46
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics

by Gottlieb, Robert [Editor]; Kimball, Robert [Editor];

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.03
A$7.15 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Pantheon, 2000-11-21. hardcover. Good. 6x0x9. minimal wear to DJ minimal wear on edges of cover minimal stains
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.03
A$7.15 Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

by J.K.Rowling

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2000. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

by J.K.Rowling

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2000. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

by J.K.Rowling

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2000. Hardcover. Very Good. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.50
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

  • Used
  • Very good
  • Hardback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.83
A$8.66 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Pantheon Books, November 2000. Hardcover. Very Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.83
A$8.66 Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$12.42
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.42
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics : More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$12.42
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$12.42
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

by Gottlieb, Robert

  • Used
  • Hardback
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$14.77
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Pantheon, 2000-11-21. First Edition. hardcover. Used: Good. 7.50x1.40x9.80. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$14.77
Free Delivery to USA
Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics
Stock photo: cover may vary

Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

by Gottlieb, Robert

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780375400810 / 0375400818
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$16.33
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Pantheon. hardcover. Good. 9.5X6.5X1.5. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$16.33
Free Delivery to USA