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33⅓
Book series of music analysis and criticism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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33+1⁄3 (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album.[1] The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, 33+1⁄3 RPM.[2]

History
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Originally published by Continuum,[3] the series was founded by editor David Barker in 2003.[1] At the time, Continuum published a series of short books on literature called Continuum Contemporaries. One-time series editor Ally-Jane Grossan described Barker as "an obsessive music fan who thought, 'This is a really cool idea, why don't we apply this to albums.'"[3] PopMatters wrote that the range consists of "obscure classics to more usual suspects by the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones".[1]
In 2010, Continuum was bought out by Bloomsbury Publishing, which continues to publish the series.[3] Following a leave, Barker was replaced by Grossan in January 2013.[2] Leah Babb-Rosenfeld has been the editor of the series since 2016.[4]
Several independent books have been spun off of the series. The first, Carl Wilson's 2007 entry on Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love, was expanded for a 2014 Bloomsbury reissue with material not specifically pertaining to the Dion album and retitled Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste. Joe Bonomo, at the invitation of Barker, expanded his 33+1⁄3 proposal on Jerry Lee Lewis's Live at the Star Club, Hamburg album into a full-length book about Lewis, the album, and his career titled Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, published by Continuum in 2009. A rejected proposal from writer Brett Milano for an entry on Game Theory's 1987 album Lolita Nation was instead expanded by Milano into a biography on the band's leader Scott Miller; that project, titled Don't All Thank Me at Once: The Lost Genius of Scott Miller, was released by 125 Books in 2015.[5]
In August 2017, Bloomsbury announced the launch of 33+1⁄3 Global,[6] an extension of the 33+1⁄3 series to popular music from around the world. The first two sub-series launched were 33+1⁄3 Brazil, edited by Jason Stanyek, and 33+1⁄3 Japan, edited by Noriko Manabe.[7] The first book for 33+1⁄3 Brazil was Caetano Veloso's A Foreign Sound by Barbara Browning.[8] The first books for 33+1⁄3 Japan were Supercell ft. Hatsune Miku by Keisuke Yamada and Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack by Rose Bridges.[9]
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Published titles
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As of June 2025[update], 194 books have been published in the main series.
Main series
- The original Smile album remains unfinished; not to be confused with The Smile Sessions (2011) box set
33⅓ Japan
33⅓ Brazil
33⅓ Europe
33⅓ Oceania
33⅓ South Asia
Anthologies
Genre: A 33⅓ Series
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Forthcoming titles
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Main series
With release date[21]
- Cosmic Thing (September 4, 2025) by Pete Crighton, on the album by The B-52s (1989)
- Antics (November 13, 2025) by Gabriel T. Saxon-Ruiz, on the album by Interpol (2004)
- Carrie & Lowell (November 13, 2025) by Joel Mayward, on the album by Sufjan Stevens (2015)
- New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (November 13, 2025) by Kameryn Alexa Carter, on the album by Erykah Badu (2010)
- Re (November 13, 2025) by Carmelo Esterrich, on the album by Café Tacvba (1994)
- Inflammable Material (January 22, 2026) by Kevin C. Dunn, on the album by Stiff Little Fingers (1979)
- So Tonight That I Might See (January 22, 2026) by Anthony Gomez III, on the album by Mazzy Star (1993)
Without release date
- Tragic Kingdom by Rhae Lynn Barnes, on the album by No Doubt (1995)[22]
- I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Holden Seidlitz, on the album by Bright Eyes (2005)[22]
- Believe by Lior Phillips, on the album by Cher (1998)[23]
- Disintegration by Andi Harriman, on the album by The Cure (1989)[23]
- Blonde by Yousef Srour, on the album by Frank Ocean (2016)[23]
- Plastic Beach by Ihor Junyk, on the album by Gorillaz (2010)[23]
- What's the 411? by Ricky Tucker, on the album by Mary J. Blige (1992)[23]
- Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly by Zak Fusciello, on the album by Moss Icon (1994)[23]
- Violent Femmes by Nic Brown, on the album by Violent Femmes (1983)[23]
- "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D by Justin Remer, on the album by "Weird Al" Yankovic (1984)[23]
- I'm Your Baby Tonight by Brandon Tensley, on the album by Whitney Houston (1990)[23]
- Dust Bowl Ballads by Allison C. Meier, on the album by Woody Guthrie (1940)[23]
- I Want You by Derrais Carter, on the album by Marvin Gaye (1976)[24]
- Timeless by Martyn Deykers, on the album by Goldie (1995)[25]
- Tin Drum by Agata Pyzik, on the album by Japan (1981)[26][27]
- Nightbirds by Craig Seymour, on the album by Labelle (1974)[24]
- Shout at the Devil by Micco Caporale, on the album by Mötley Crüe (1983)[28]
- Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version by Jarett Kobek, on the album by Ol' Dirty Bastard (1995)[26]
33⅓ Japan
- Kōhaku utagassen: The Red and White Song Contest by Shelley Brunt (January 8, 2026)[29]
- Yellow Magic Orchestra (delayed) by Toshiyuki Ohwada, on the album by Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)[30]
33⅓ Europe
- 1964/1985 Affinità-divergenze fra il compagno Togliatti e noi – Del conseguimento della maggiore età (January 8, 2026) by Giacomo Botta, on the album by CCCP (1986)[31]
- Februar (January 8, 2026), on the album by Silly (1989)[32]
- Phaedra (delayed) by Dan Bynre-Smith, on the album by Tangerine Dream (1974)[33]
33⅓ Oceania
- Together Alone (June 12, 2025) by Barnaby Smith, on the album by Crowded House (1993)[34]
- Frogstomp (July 10, 2025) by Jay Daniel Thompson, on the album by Silverchair (1995)[35]
- Truckload of Sky: The Lost Songs of David McComb, Vol. 1 (September 4, 2025) by Glenn D'Cruz, on the album by various artists (2020)[36]
- Danger in the Past (October 2, 2025) by Patrick Chapman, on the album by Robert Forster (1990)[37]
- The Happy Prince (December 11, 2025) by John Tebbutt, on the album by The La De Das (1969)[38]
Genre: A 33⅓ Series
- 20th Century Ambient (November 13, 2025) by Dusty Henry[39]
- Plunderphonics (November 13, 2025) by Matthew Blackwell[40]
- Vaporwave (delayed) by Kirk Walker Graves[41]
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See also
- Boss Fight Books – a publisher that releases an eponymous series about notable video games
References
External links
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