July 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, 2024.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Five Gears in Reverse: A Criminal Book, 2026.

Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, The Authority: Relentless, 2025.

Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, 2005.

Reuel Golden, New York: Portrait of a City, 2025.

Chris Robinson (ed.), All-Negro Comics: America's First Black Comic Book, 2025.

Movies:
Michael, 2026.

Music:

Angine de Poitrine, Vol. II, 2026.

Little Barrie, Gravity Freeze, 2026.

Dyke and the Blazers, The Funky Broadway: The Very Best of Dyke & the Blazers, 1999.

Madonna, Confessions II, 2026.

Raye, This Music May Contain Hope, 2026.

Bobby Womack, J.J. Johnson, Across 110th Street, 1972.

Various, The Best of Blaxploitation, 1999.

Various, Digging Your Scene: New Pop and All That Jazz 1982-1987, 2026.

Various, In the Beginning There Was Rhythm, 2001.

Various, Thom Bell: Didn't I Blow Your Mind: The Sound of Philadelphia Soul 1969-1983, 2024.

"A Cesspool of Prissy Repression and Recklessly Moronic Freedom That Now Stands as an Embarrassment to One and All"

"Like every decade, the '90s had its cathartic heights. And like the '60s, it seemed like a period in which the culture was moving forward, albeit fitfully, toward a more progressive, enlightened future, at least in our fuzz-pedal-hazy minds. But it was also a decade of repulsive depths, craven money-grabs, and Pauly Shore's film career."

Charles Aaron in a 2013 Spin article presents "The 50 Worst Moments of the '90s."

June 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Charles Ardai et al. Heat Seeker: Exposed--A Gun Honey Series Vol. 3, 2026.

Andy Diggle and Jock, Green Arrow: Year One, 2026.

Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, We3, 2025.

Ben Rhodes, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity--A History in 15 Speeches, 2026.

Various, Elseworlds: Batman Vol. 3, 2018.

Music:

Don Covay, Mercy Mercy: The Definitive Don Covay, 1994.

Graham Coxon, Castle Park, 2026.

Haircut 100, Boxing the Compass, 2026.

Heavy Stereo, "Sleep Freak," 1995.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Wedding Album, 1969.

Madonna, Finally Enough Love, 2022.

Molotovs, Wasted on Youth, 2026.

Paul Young, From Time to Time: The Singles Collection, 1991.

Various, Super Bad on Celluloid: Music from '70s Black Cinema, 1998.

May 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Jeph Loeb et al, Superman/Batman, 2025.

Movies:

The Women in Cages Collection, 2011.

Music:

Black Keys, Peaches!, 2026.

Gorillaz, The Mountain, 2026.

Graham Bond Organisation, The Sound Of '65/There's A Bond Between Us, 1999.

Social Distortion, Born to Kill, 2026.

Paul Weller, Weller at the BBC (Vol. 2), 2026.

"PBS-ification"

"But it is noticeable that as the folk memory of punk and of the mid-Sixties and rock'n'roll, has faded,  so too is that distrust of art that Marcus wrote about approvingly, that Drummond enacted, that Bangs took for granted...

Gradually there has been a growing resignation towards the very thing that Nik Cohn found intolerable–the division between industrialised chartpop, brainless if entertaining trash, and a separate zone of 'fine music', which is totally comfortable with seeing itself as art."

Simon Reynolds presents a transcript of a talk he made at Harvard University in 2012.

April 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Brian Michael Bendis, Goldfish, 2022.

Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn: Wild at Heart, 2025.

Anthony O'Hear and Judy Groves, Introducing Jesus: A Graphic Guide, 2015.

Frank Norris, McTeague: A Story of San Francisco, 1899, 1964.

Movies:

Big Bad Mama/Big Bad Mama II, 1999.

Earth Girls Are Easy, 1988.

Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS, 1975.

Lethal Ladies 2, 1999.

M, 1931.

Music:

Bangs and Talbot, Smokin' Aces, 2026.

British Electric Foundation, Music Of Quality And Distinction Volume One, 1982, 1991.

DJ Quik, Platnium & Gold Collection, 2004.

Dr Feelgood, Sneakin' Suspicion, 1977, 2025.

Hot Chocolate, An Introduction to Hot Chocolate, 2017.

Sly and the Family Stone, The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967, 2025.

Smothers Brothers, Sibling Revelry: The Best of the Smothers Brothers, 1988.

Steve White Trio, Soul Drums, 2026.

Let's Dance

"That's what birthed punk rock. Not anarchy but ennui. The energy had to go somewhere. It went into a fast, urgent 'One, two, three, four…'"

Jonathan Eig at AudioPhix marks the fiftieth anniversary of Ramones.

And Simon Price at The Quietus discusses the Ramones' impact in Britain.

March 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

David Avallone et al, Elvira in Monsterland, 2024.

David Avallone et al, Elvira Meets H.P. Lovecraft, 2024.

Bertolt Brecht, The Good Woman of Setzuan, 1999.

Garth Ennis et al, Punisher: Welcome Back, Frank, 2026.

Jonathan Hickman et al, Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 2: The Paper, 2025.

Jane Hope and Borin Van Loon, Introducing Buddha: A Graphic Guide, 2008.

Jim McCarthy and Kevin Cross, Living for Kicks: A Mods Graphic Novel, 2016.

Kim Ostrow and Tim Jessell, Harrison Ford: A Little Golden Book Biography, 2025.

The Pocket Beatles, 2026.

Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans for Physical Fitness, 2016.

Movies:

Roger Corman's Cult Classics: Action Packed, 1999.

Roger Corman's Cult Classics: Lethal Ladies, 1999.

Roger Corman's Cult Classics: The Nurses Collection, 2012.

Music:

Beatles, 1967-1970, 1973, 2023.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby, Irreversible, 2026.

Cast, Yeah Yeah Yeah, 2026.

Chosen Gospel Singers, The Lifeboat, 1992.

Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser, Wanted! The Outlaws (1976-1996 20th Anniversary), 1996.

Mitski, Nothing's About to Happen to Me, 2026.

World Party, Egyptology, 1997.

February 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale, 1985.

David Avallone and Kewber Baal, Elvira in Horrorland, 2023.

Malcolm Croft. The Little Book of John Lennon, 2020.

Malcolm Croft. The Little Guide to the Beatles, 2019.

Bill Morgan, The Beat Generation in San Francisco: A Literary Guidebook, 2003.

The Little Book of San Francisco, 2022.

Music:

Shirley Caesar and Rev. James Cleveland, The King and Queen of Gospel Volume 1, 2002.

Claude Debussy, Greatest Hits, 2001.

Dixie Hummingbirds, 20th Century Masters--The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Dixie Hummingbirds, 2002.

English Beat, The Beat at the BBC, 2025.

Faces, Early Steps, 2025.

Terry Hall, The Collection, 1992.

Heaven 17, Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17, 1993.

Tina Turner, Simply the Best, 1991.

January 2026 Acquisitions

Books:

Bonnie Bader and Sue Cornelison, Martin Luther King Jr.: A Little Golden Book Biography, 2018.

James Ellroy and Glynn Martin, LAPD '53, 2015.

Albert B. Feldstein (ed.), The Invisible MAD, 1975.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Selected Stories, 1962.

Torunn Gronbekk et al, Catwoman Vol. 2: Never Let Them Smell Blood, 2025.

Owen King et al, Self Help, 2025.

Cynthia Von Buhler, Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu, 2025.

The EC Archives: Crime SuspenStories Volume 2, 2024.

Movies:

Barb Wire, 1996.

Music:

Bix Beiderbecke, Volume 1: Singin' the Blues, 1990. 

Chills, Soft Bomb, 1992.

Dr. Feelgood, Stupidity, 1976, 2025.

Ferris Wheel, Can't Break the Habit, 2000.

Roberta Flack, The Best of Roberta Flack, 1981.

Curtis Harding, Face Your Face, 2017.

Edwin Hawkins Singers, Oh Happy Day, 2001.

Human League, Greatest Hits, 1988.

Yoko Ono, Plastic Ono Band, 1970.

Pachelbel, Greatest Hits and Other Baroque Favorites, 2003.

Jimmy Page, Jimmy's Back Pages... the Early Years, 1992.

Sex Pistols, The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, 1979.

Various, Hang the DJ: Modern Rock 1987, 1996.

Various, Mod Anthems Volume 2, 2016.

Various, Tonite Let's Make Love in London, 1968, 2016.

"An Optimistic Cultural Renaissance Will Have to Precede Political Reform"

"But now, I wonder if my notion of culture being grounded in music or film has been eclipsed by the culture of the algorithm. For the past 10 years, in books like Move Fast and Break Things and The End of Reality, I have been writing about how a few tech billionaires have built unimagined fortunes by destroying our culture. The technocrats are well-known: Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman. The project of 'disruption' these men championed at the dawn of the digital age has ended with the immiseration of musicians, journalists, and photographers."

Jonathan Taplin at Rolling Stone asks, "Can the Counterculture Rise Again?"

2025 Favorites

The Late Adopter selects...

Albums:

Mavis Staples--Sad and Beautiful World (Anti-) 

Tom Meighan--Roadrunner (Townsend) 

Curtis Harding--Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (Anti-)

Royel Otis--Hickey (Capitol)  

Wet Leg--Moisturizer (Domino) 

Kendrick Lamar--GNX (Interscope)

Dropkick Murphys--For the People (Dummy Luck) 

Franz Ferdinand--The Human Fear (Domino)  

Stereolab--Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Duophonic)

Paul Weller--Find El Dorado (Parlophone)

Songs:

Mavis Staples--'Sad and Beautiful World'

Tom Meighan--'Silver Linings'

Curtis Harding--'There She Goes'

Royel Otis--'Car'

Kendrick Lamar--'Squabble Up'   

Wet Leg--'Liquidize'

Tame Impala--'My Old Ways'

Chills--'Dolphins'

Hives--'The Hives Forever, Forever the Hives'

Paul Weller--'White Line Fever'

December 2025 Acquisitions

Books:
Charles Ardai et al, Heat Seeker: Combustion Vol. 2, 2025.
Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847, 1996.
David Graeber and David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity, 2021.

EC Epitaphs from the Abyss Vol. 1, 2025.

What's the Story: The Little Guide to Oasis, 2025.

Movies:
To Be or Not to Be, 1942.

Music:
Bangs & Talbot, Back to Business, 2022.
Buckingham Nicks, Buckingham Nicks, 1973, 2025.
Mavericks, 20th Century Masters--The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Mavericks, 2001.
Various, Praise Be! Boarding The Gospel Train, In Thrall of The Lord Lux and Ivy Dig the God-Fearing Nation, 2025.

"The Goddess of Go-Go"

"Now she lives alone in 'a wonderful house in Los Angeles' with her five cats and her dance studio next door. She still teaches students, judges street dance competitions globally and is regarded as a legend in the field. And she still hears Mickey echoing through the culture: in movies (most recently Die My Love), and in songs by the likes of Run DMC (It's Tricky), Gwen Stefani (Hollaback Girl), Taylor Swift (Shake It Off), Charli xcx (Speed Drive) and, most recently, Blackpink singer Ros'’s hit single with Bruno Mars, Apt. 'It's kind of an anthem now. Here in America, if you're a little cheerleader, you're dancing to it.'"

Steve Rose at The Guardian talks with Toni Basil.

November 2025 Acquisitions

Books:
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, The Knives, 2025.
R.K. Gordon, Beowulf, 1992.
Robert Inchausti (Ed.), The Pocket Thomas Merton, 2017.
Nicole Johnson, Pirates of the Caribbean, 2023.
Ziauddin Sardar and Borin Van Loon, Introducing Cultural Studies: A Graphic Guide, 2010.

Movies:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977.
Clueless, 1995.
Ferris Bueler's Day Off, 1986.
Hairspray/Pecker, 2001.
The Harder They Come, 1972.

Music:
Ivy, Traces of You, 2025.
Spinal Tap, The End Continues, 2025.
Mavis Staples, Sad and Beautiful World, 2025
Tame Impala, Deadbeat, 2025.

October 2025 Acquisitions

Books:

Nigel Benson, Introducing Psychology: A Graphic Guide, 2007.

Dave Dwonch and Travis Hymel, The Loose End, 2025.

Jeffrey Weinstock, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 2007.

Movies:

The Last Showgirl, 2024.

Music:

Richard Ashcroft, Lovin' You, 2025.

Black Keys, No Rain, No Flowers, 2025.

Dropkick Murphys, For the People, 2025.

Hives, The Hives Forever... Forever the Hives, 2025.

Lords of the New Church, Killer Lords, 1993.

Royel Otis, Hickey, 2025.

Saint Etienne, International, 2025.

September 2025 Acquisitions

Books:

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner et al, Wardlaw's Perspectives on Nutrition 10th Edition, 2015.

Nick Craine, Hard Core Logo: Portrati of a Thousand Punks, 2017.

Stephen Glynn, Quadrophenia, 2014.

Scott Jordan Harris, World Film Locations San Francisco, 2013.

Owen Holland and Piero, Introducing Literary Criticism: A Graphic Guide, 2016.

Mike Katz and Crispin Kott, Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to San Francisco, 2021.

Bill Morrison, The Beatles Yellow Submarine, 2018.

Stuart Sim and Borin Van Loon, Introducing Critical Theory: A Graphic Guide, 2009.

Scott Tilley and Nick Balian, Disneyland Is Your Land!, 2025.

Toyo Tyler and Courtney Dawson, My Little Golden Book About San Francisco, 2021.

Music:

Curtis Harding, Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt, 2025.

Stereolab, Instant Holograms on Metal Film, 2025.

Neil Young, Talkin to the Trees, 2025.

Various, DIY--Do It Yourself: Punk, Post Punk, Punk Funk & Beyond: The Rise of the Independent Music Industry, 2007.

Various, K-Pop Demon Hunters, 2025.

Various, New Wave for the Next Generation, 2003.

Various, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975.

Various, Under the Influence: Ian Brown, 2003.

"It's Worth Reconsidering"

"Some of these old standards will feel alien to zoomers and alphas. In his 2022 book The Nineties, the critic Chuck Klosterman explores the decade's hostility towards 'selling out,' which he calls “the single most nineties aspect of the nineties'. Selling out involved a respected artist deciding to make work that was more 'palatable' and therefore more commercially viable. By 2010, says Klosterman, 'it was hard to illustrate to a young person why this act was once seen as problematic; by 2020 it was difficult to explain what the term literally expressed'."

Rachel Aroesti at The Guardian calls for a return of "cultural snobbery."

August 2025 Acquisitions

Books:

Horace Clarence Boyer and Lloyd Yearwood, The Golden Age of Gospel, 2000.

Kevin Starr, Material Dreams: Southern California Through the 1920s, 1991.

Music:

Chairmen of the Board, The Best of Chairmen of the Board, 2002.

Chi-Lites, The Best of the Chi-Lites, 2007.

Dr. Feelgood, Down by the Jetty, 1975, 2025.

Aretha Franklin, Live at Fillmore West, 1971.

Franz Ferdinand, The Human Fear, 2025.

Randy Newman, The Natural, 1984.

Wet Leg, Moisterizer, 2025.

"It's Nice to Hear Someone Do Something Different"

"The real reason that indie started to die, or at least felt as though it did, is Spotify. As streaming supplanted downloads and album sales, it automated music discovery. Instead of reading Pitchfork or asking a record-store clerk for recommendations, more and more people began to let algorithms suggest their next obsession. This had a variety of consequences. One is that it's become harder than ever for challenging music—music that you need to listen to a few times in order to love—to gain a foothold. The prestige associated with doing something different has started to fade."

Spencer Kornhaber at The Atlantic reviews Chris DeVille's Such Great Heights: The Complete History of the Indie Rock Explosion.