Mystery Train, 50th Anniversary Edition Images of America in Rock 'N' Roll Music

Greil Marcus

Paperback (16 Sep 2025)

$21.89

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Publisher's Synopsis

A 50th anniversary edition of the music classic, with fully updated discographies and new introductions from Greil Marcus and Dwight Garner

In this special 50th anniversary edition of the beloved Plume backlist staple first released in 1975, Mystery Train's complex analysis of the relationship between rock 'n' roll music and America is given new life with updated discographies and new introductions by Greil Marcus and Dwight Garner.

Rather than providing a general overview of influential bands and artists, Marcus's definitive book focuses on just six: virtually unknown early rock 'n' roller Harmonica Frank; the country blues singer Robert Johnson; and some of the better-known musicians who followed-The Band, Sly Stone, Randy Newman, and Elvis Presley.

This is the original book to take these rock legends and place them in the American culture of their time. And now, in 2025, Mystery Train continues its groundbreaking work for a new generation of readers and music lovers.

About the Publisher

Plume

Plume was founded in 1970 as the trade paperback imprint of New American Library. In its early history, Plume focused primarily on nonfiction titles, publishing approximately 35 titles per year. In the early 1980s, as trade paperbacks were rapidly becoming the format of choice among a large segment of book buyers, Plume began expanding its reach, and became recognized as one of the pre-eminent trade paperback imprints. The 1980's saw Plume make its mark with a number of major bestsellers, including Toni Morrison's Tar Baby, Erica Jong's Fanny, Russell Baker's Growing Up, and Gloria Steinem's Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, among others. Now, in 2014, Plume is publishing 85 to 100 titles a year, and its backlist currently encompasses approximately 700 titles.