Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: Record Collecting as a Social Practice

Roy Shuker is Associate Professor in the School of English, Film, Theatre and Media Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

• Contents: Introduction; The 78 era: creating a collecting constituency; The contemporary collector: beyond the High Fidelity stereotype; Formats, collectors, and the music industry; Taste, the canon, and the collectable; Collecting practices; Record collecting and the music press; Collector profiles; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

'While the cultural analysis of popular music has been routinely consumed by consumption, few have taken the time to research how we acquire what we listen to and why some of us engage in that process compulsively. What might seem like an undirected act of ceaseless acquisition, record collecting can be, as Shuker illustrates, a process of self-definition, critical analysis and canon formation. Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: Record Collecting as a Social Practice is a readable, informative and insightful consideration of the social dimensions of commerce and the sometimes complicated ambitions of those record fanatics who might shop 'til they drop or their eardrums suffer damage.' David Sanjek, University of Salford, UK 'In Wax Trash and Vinyl Treasures: Record Collecting as a Social Practice, Roy Shuker captures both the passion and the precision that makes record collecting the enduring global phenomenon, community, and business it is. From his detailed history of various forms of collecting to his engaging case studies of contemporary collectors, Shuker's book is sure to engage the reader as much as would a day rummaging through a city block of used record stores!' Russell Reising, The University of Toledo, USA ’... In this long-overdue study...Roy Shuker...expertly develops a historical overview that explores changes in format and shifts in canon, and the impact these have on issues of taste, economic and cultural capital, and collecting practices.’ Times Higher Education ’This book is a fascinating social study of people like us. ... Wax Trash is a compelling look at the male (and sometimes female) obsession with rotating discs.’ 4 Stars, Record Collector