Joy Division: Books

Listed on this page are books about Joy Division, Ian Curtis and New Order. The list also includes books covering wider topics such as Factory Records and the Manchester music scene. The Joy Division Central site has a comprehensive and illustrated guide to books and fanzines. Books which are still in print can be purchased from the Amazon.co.uk web site.

When you have finished, click on the picture of Ian Curtis to return to the index.

I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand

When We Were Young
A Moment in Time: Published privately by Simon Barber 1983; These were limited editions in A5-size hardback and paperback versions. Both contain a history, lyrics, discography and concerts list. A Moment in Time has more about New Order, and has a supplement containing transcripts of interviews.
Joy Division: Lyrics: Exa, Belgium 1984; This was a limited edition compiled by Ronald Grossey.
An Ideal for Living: A History of Joy Division: Proteus Books 1984; Bobcat Books 1986; Omnibus Press 1986; Written by Mark Johnson, with David Lees, Paul Morley and Jon Wozencraft, this well-illustrated biography of the band includes details of concerts and other important events in Joy Division's career.
Joy Division/New Order: A History in Cuttings: Author and publisher unknown, circa 1984; This is a collection of newspaper clippings, including reviews, articles and promotional material, plus a list of performances and a bootleg guide. There were several editions with different covers. A reviewer described this as: "a Joy Division scrapbook compiling all the cuttings you could ever want (and quite a few that you'd never want)".
Joy Division: A Visual Documentary: Author and publisher unknown; I am assured that such a book does exist, but I know nothing further about it.
Joy Division: Babylon Books 1984; Written by Mike West. In addition to a history of Joy Division, this includes plenty of pictures and a list of equipment used by the band.
New Order and Joy Division: Pleasures and Wayward Distractions: Omnibus Press 1984 and 1988; Written by Brian Edge, this covers the history of both bands and describes each of their record releases.
Ian Curtis and Joy Division
Joy Division / New Order: Gammalibri c1987; These were both published in Italy. The first was written by Chino Ferrara.
Leur Histoire: A Band in the Decade: Published privately 1988; This was written in French by Jean-Francois Clément.
Shadowplay: ReadyMade Publishing, Germany 1988; Written by Martin Drichel, this includes many of the designs created by Peter Saville.
Joy Division: Form (and Substance): Sound Publishing, Cambridge 1988; By Clinton Heylin and Craig Wood, this has four parts: a history of the band (Form); an analysis of their music (Substance); details of live and studio recordings; photographs by Kevin Cummins. There is also a hardback limited edition.
Joy Division (aka Non In Vendita): Stampa Alternativa 1988; Written by Marco Broll, this Italian publication includes song lyrics, although these are not always correct. The booklet came with a CDS / 7" with four tracks: Incubation, As You Said, You're No Good For Me and Komakino.
From the Centre of the City: Stampa Alternativa 1990; Compiled by Alfredo Suatoni, this includes a list of Joy Division's concerts, a discography and a list of bootlegs. It also includes pictures that were used by Peter Saville when designing record sleeves for the band, and a CDS / 7" with the five songs from the Warsaw Demo.
Vie et Mort d'un Poulet Enragé: Camion Blanc 1991; Eugène Ralon wrote this personal account of his experience of Joy Division.
IN side OUT: Sonnentanz 1992; Written in German by Horst Puschmann, this contains a biography, gig list, song list and discography.
Joy Division: Published privately 1992; This was a home-produced limited edition by Neil Woodvine.
Lumière et Ténèbres: Camion Blanc 1994; A French biography by Sébastien Raizer, with more than 50 pictures and a discography. This has been reprinted several times with different covers.
Exorcise One: Ian Curtis: Castle Communications 1994; Written by Deborah Curtis. This was the original title for ....
Touching From a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division: Faber and Faber 1995, 2001; Written by Deborah Curtis, the widow of Ian Curtis, this is a moving and readable account of Ian Curtis and his life, both with and away from Joy Division. The book also contains lyrics, photographs, a discography and a gig list.
New Order + Joy Division: Dreams Never End: Omnibus Press 1995; Author Claude Flowers manages to cram a lot of information into a slim volume, lavishly illustrated with pictures of the band. As well as Joy Division and New Order, the book also covers Electronic, Revenge and The Other Two.
Joy Division and New Order: Entre Tinieblas: Editorial La Mascara 1995; Written by Daniel Grau, this Spanish book is mainly about New Order.
Histoire d'une Vie: Camion Blanc 1995; This is a French translation by Sébastien Raizer of Touching From a Distance.
Cosi Vicino, Cosi Lontano: Giunti 1996; This is a Italian translation by Alberto Campo of Touching From a Distance.
Aus der Ferne: Ian Curtis und Joy Division: Die Gestalten Verlag 1996; And this is the German edition of Touching From a Distance.
Time Travel: Chatto & Windus 1996, Vintage 1997; This collection of articles by Jon Savage includes two on Joy Division: a review of Unknown Pleasures from 1979, and the 1994 essay reproduced in the Heart and Soul booklet.
From Joy Division to New Order: The Factory Story: Virgin Books 1996, 2002; Written by Manchester music journalist Mick Middles, this is a sometimes rambling but often interesting account of the Manchester music scene. The book is not just about Joy Division and New Order, but covers the history of Factory Records and many of their other artists.
Joy Division: All the Lyrics: Stampa Alternativa 1998; By Marco Broll, this appears to be a reissue of the earlier book and CD.
Manchester England: The Story of the Pop Cult City: Fourth Estate 1999; Written by former Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam, this is a social and cultural history of Manchester with the emphasis on its musical heritage. Joy Division are featured in the chapter covering the punk and post-punk period.
Better to Burn Out: The Cult of Death in Rock 'n' Roll: Thunder's Mouth 1999; Written by Dave Thompson, this catalogue of untimely deaths in rock music has a chapter on Ian Curtis.
24 Hour Party People: Channel 4 Books 2002 (FAC 424); This is the "bizarre and not entirely fabricated" story of Factory's Tony Wilson, who writes about his experiences with Granada TV, Factory and the Hacienda during the Manchester "pop culture explosion".
True Faith: Helter Skelter 2005; In his "Armchair Guide to New Order, Joy Division, Electronic, Revenge, Monaco and The Other Two", Dave Thompson charts the musical evolution of New Order and their various offshoots from their beginnings in Joy Division.
Joy Division and the Making of Unknown Pleasures: Unanimous / Vinyl Frontier 2006; Jake Kennedy gives a track-by-track assessment of Joy Division's recordings leading up to their classic debut album.
Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis: Omnibus Press 2006; This biography of Ian Curtis was written by Mick Middles and Lindsay Reade, who were close to the Manchester music scene in the Joy Division era. The authors have interviewed Ian’s family, friends and associates and have gathered previously unseen material in order to compile a comprehensive account of Ian's life and career.
Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album: Thames and Hudson 2006; Compiled by Matthew Robertson, with a foreword by Tony Wilson, this is an illustrated catalogue of Factory's iconic artwork.
Who Killed Martin Hannett?: Aurum Press 2007; This "story of Factory Records' musical magician" was written by his friend Colin Sharp.
Bernard Sumner: Confusion: Independent Music Press 2007; Sub-titled "Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus the World", David Nolan's biography of Bernard Sumner includes comments from Bernard himself.
Joy Division: Piece By Piece: Plexus 2007; This book by writer and broadcaster Paul Morley is a collection of his published work about Joy Division, both contemporary and retrospective.
Juvenes: To Hell With Publishing 2007; This is a showcase for photographs of Joy Division by Kevin Cummins, including previously unseen images.
In Control: Schirmer/Mosel 2008; This is a visual diary compiled by director Anton Corbijn during the making of the film about Ian Curtis.
1 Top Class Manager: Anti-Archivists 2008; This is a collection of notebooks and other material kept by Rob Gretton during his time as Joy Division's manager.
Factory: The Story of the Record Label: Virgin Books 2009; This is a revised and updated reissue of Mick Middles' earlier Factory Story.
The North Will Rise Again: Aurum Press 2009; This is an "oral history" of Manchester music based on interviews conducted by John Robb.
Tony Wilson: You're Entitled to an Opinion: John Blake Publishing 2009; David Nolan's biography, recounting the "high times and many lives" of Tony Wilson, is based on numerous interviews with Wilson's family, friends and colleagues.
The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club: Simon and Schuster 2009; Peter Hook calls on his memories of the Hacienda era to tell the "amazing true story of Manchester's most iconic nightclub".
Manchester: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain: Faber and Faber 2009; This "visual record of the city and its pop history" features the photographs of Kevin Cummins.

And finally here are two books which helped to inspire Joy Division songs.

The House of Dolls (Das Hoys fun di Lalkes): Frederick Muller 1956, Grafton 1971, Granada 1981, Senate Books 1997; This harrowing story about Nazi concentration camps inspired the name Joy Division and the song No Love Lost. It was written by Karol Cetinsky under his camp name and number (Ka-Tzetnik 135633), and was based on his family's own experiences. Several editions have been published in the original Yiddish and in an English translation.
The Atrocity Exhibition: Jonathan Cape 1970, Panther 1972, Re/Search 1990, Flamingo 2001; This collection of stories by J G Ballard, with its strange mixture of science fiction, sex and violence, is reflected in the song Atrocity Exhibition.

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