2026 has started with a triumvirate of announcements for Spring publications...
First up was legendary cultural critic/novelist Michael Bracewell, whose new book is published on June 11th. Coming in at a slender 140 pages (and not a word wasted), The Smiths: a Novella, is not so much a book about The Smiths, but rather a fairy tale inspired by them. Michael is one of the most exquisite literary stylists of his generation and like his revered cult masterpiece, Souvenir, this is a book which defies categorisation and genre. It is fiction but is also homage to the greatest and most mercurial British band of the ‘80s.
A romance and an act of time travel; it captures that feeling of falling in love with a band and the wonder and abandon of teenage pop lust. Released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of The Queen is Dead (oh yes!), this book is a magic spell, a reverie and an incantation.
No one understands pop, performance, style and ideas of Englishness like Bracewell and this book is simply unmissable for both fans of The Smiths and literary aesthetes who love the art of the sentence and the most transcendent literature.
The Smiths: A Novella by Michael Bracewell
Listen to Michael’s selection of his favourite songs by The Smiths (and his reasons behind these choices) here, as broadcast on 6 Music a few days ago. And if you don’t believe us telling you how great this book is, how about these quotes from some names you might be familiar with...
'The Smiths is so evocative of the intense and self-defining power of pop: when a listener can feel their emotions uncannily expressed by an artist' - Neil Tennant
'Bracewell is so brilliant with oblique detail and his reflections on a dank, forgotten London chime perfectly with the band that he is so lovingly remembering. Again and again I found myself reaching for my notebook for phrases to steal' - Brett Anderson
And speaking of Michael Bracewell, he will be in conversation with Paul Gorman this coming Wednesday, 11 February at Foyles on Charing Cross Road in London. They'll be discussing - amongst other things - Paul's recent book Granny Takes A Trip, about the legendary rock n roll boutique, and his acclaimed biography of Malcolm McLaren. Do join us if you can - click here for tickets
We recently announced another ‘novel’, or rather work of ‘autofiction’ (yes I know, forgive me the use of that term) by Michael Smith, author of the book which defined the gentrifying moment in Shoreditch and Hoxton and the impact it had on the underground art and clubbing scene at the time, The Giro Playboy, which I published at Faber in 2006. Some writers are described as mavericks or enigmas … for a very few even these terms are redundant and inadequate.
Strangers on the Shore by Michael Smith
It has been thirteen years since Michael’s last book, Unreal City, which was a collaboration with Andrew Weatherall, released in a 1,000 copy limited edition vinyl and CD format with an unbound book ‘annotated’ in the margins by Andrew. Unreal City is now one of the most sought after and valuable Weatherall items out there in his vast catalogue. Rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth.
Andrew and Michael collaborated for many years, live and in the studio, and in tribute to their mutual respect we are offering an exclusive edition of his new book (his masterpiece might I add), Strangers on the Shore, which is published at the end of May. If you order from Gnostic Sonics you will receive a signed copy of the book, an illustration of Andrew as the 16th century mystic John Dee by Michael himself, and a 6,000 word monograph in the form of a fanzine (Like Marble Statues Falling from the Sky), written by the author about his creative relationship and friendship with Lord Sabre.
These are limited to 250 copies only and exclusively through Gnostic Sonics and our preorder information suggests they are selling quickly. Collectors items for sure. And no doubt an enterprise Mr Weatherall would have approved of … given he was so enamoured of Michael’s writing he referred to him as ‘the acid house Montaigne’.
Last but not least (and deep breath incoming), last week we announced what is unquestionably one of our biggest books of 2026 and Simon Reynolds’ most important and significant book for at least a decade if not longer – since Retromania,in 2011. Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock 1984-1994 is a deep dive historical account of a period so much of us remember and revere as a golden age for underground ‘alternative’ music.
Following a similar format to his masterpiece Rip it Up and Start Again, and picking up where that book left off, Still in a Dream is a portrait and reappraisal of now mythical bands like the Cocteau Twins, Hüsker Dü, REM, Loop, Spacemen 3, Butthole Surfers, Slowdive, Lush, Swervedriver, Teenage Fanclub, the Pastels, Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Throwing Muses and – of course – the colossus that bestrides them all, My Bloody Valentine, after whom the book is titled.
Dreampop, shoegaze, proto-grunge, slacker rock: this was the age of the guitar as sonic weapon; the last gasp of music as a purely analogue force before Britpop and grunge took over and we entered the digital age. As the original pioneering gig-goer and documentarian of these scenes, Reynolds is the ultimate guide to a period that is so romanticised by the generation that were there (says the 52 year old author of this Newsletter) and still revisited by millennials and Gen Z who are now experiencing a love affair with a new wave of shoegaze and noise which recycles much of this music and attitude.
Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, slackers and the reinvention of rock, 1984-1994 by Simon Reynolds
Signed copies of Simon’s magisterial account of the 80s underground in the UK and US are available here with an exclusive fanzine (’50 Lost Treasures’). I will be re-reading this book for the rest of my life and re-living the epiphanies I experienced in some many record shops and gigs in the mid-late 80s/early 90s, when this music felt like it was changing the world. There is quite simply no one like Simon Reynolds in the world of music writing. He was and is the reason I do what I do and this is personally a very emotive publishing experience for me.
And here is a playlist of some highlights compiled by Simon himself for you to enjoy
So as you can see, it has been a busy January. Bring on the rest of February…
Thank you for supporting White Rabbit. Please evangelise about all these titles on your social media accounts and to friends. This is all about community and spreading the love about the things we care deeply about and we are so grateful to you for buying our books.
FINALLY… here is a playlist I put together towards the end of 2025 which is a four hour or so selection of some of our favourite tracks of last year. We hope you enjoy it…
Lee and Tom