Cover Story 100 Beautiful, Strange and Frankly Incredible New Zealand LP Covers

Book Author Steve Braunias
Rights Available World excl. NZ and Australia

Music is a key to culture, no matter where in the world you are from and New Zealand is no exception. In the decades from 1957–87 the LP was king of recorded music. To sell the music cover art was needed, and the book showcases 100 of the best examples at full LP size.

Divided into themes, Cover Story brings celebrated author Steve Braunias’ inimitable wit and empathy to bear on the artistic flair, fashion and occasional gaudiness these album covers represent. Based on interviews and his own experience collecting over 800 albums from op-shops around the country, he reflects on what they say about popular culture.

Several hundred words accompany each of the albums, while Katrina Duncan’s sharp design lets the art leap from the page. This is a big book in every sense, one that is a visual delight and full of quirky information, but that doesn’t take its subjects or itself too seriously.

About the Author
Steve Braunias began raiding op shops for old New Zealand albums in 2015 and has since amassed over 800 LPs that no one else wanted. The author of ten books, including Civilisation (winner of the 2013 New Zealand Book Award for General Non-fiction) and Missing Persons (his second collection of true-crime stories), Steve is a staff writer at the New Zealand Herald and literary editor at Newsroom. He has won more than 40 national awards for writing. He lives in Herne Bay, Auckland.