A neofolk library

Lord Bassington-Bassington is rather fond of books, and has a tendency to collect small topical libraries. And as His Lordship likes neofolk music, it was only logical that the bookshelves here at Bassington Manor should contain a few books about, and related to, the genre.

So the following is simply a catalogue of His Lordship's small collection of neofolk books, with potted reviews of each title.

Looking for Europe: Neofolk und Hintergründe
By Andreas Diesel and Dieter Gerten
(Index/Promedia, 2007)

This huge tome (530 pages) is nothing less than the definite work on neofolk. Written by two fans, it gives an in-depth treatment of the music and the ideas that float around in it. Indispensable for anyone interested in the genre.

Best bits: All of it, really. This is the ABC of neofolk.
Worst bits: A tendency to shy away from problematic political issues.

Death in June: Verborgen unter Runen
By Aldo Chimenti
(Plöttner Verlag, 2012)

This big volume is the German edition of a book that was originally in Italian, and thus unreadable for Lord Bassington-Bassington, who lacks the most basic competence in Latin languages. This is surely the definitive work on neofolk pioneers Death in June, and contains a wealth of material about related projects.

Best bits: Fabulous design and wealth of pictorial material.
Worst bits: Overly florid writing (look who's talking...)

The Matter of Britain
By Keith and Matt Howden
(Post Romantic Empire, 2009)

Violinist Matt Howden, usually operating under the name Sieben, should be a familiar name to neofolk aficionados. What might be less widely know is that his father, Keith, is a poet. The Matter of Britain is a beautiful little book which contains a cycle of Howden the elder's poetry, dealing with Arthurian themes, and a CD of Howden the younger's music.

Best bits: Howden jr's recollection of his father finding him, age 15, dead drunk in a shopping cart.
Worst bits: The introduction is perhaps a bit academic in places.

Ästhetische Mobilmachung: Dark-Wave, Neofolk und Industrial im Spannungsfeld rechter Ideologien
By Andreas Speit (ed.)
(Unrast Verlag, 2006)

An anthology highly critical of neofolk, mostly from a leftist perspective. Published in 2006, it is of course quite outdated at this point, which. Case in point: One of the most criticised groups, martial industrialists Der Blutharsch, has since morphed into a psychedelic hippie band.

Best bits: An interesting attempt at an ideological critique of the neofolk environment...
Worst bits: ...which sadly suffers from leftist lopsidedness.

Above us the Sun
By Tony Wakeford
(Tursa, 1994)

Above us the Sun is simply a collection of lyrics by Tony Wakeford, the mastermind behind Sol Invictus and Twa Corgies. The book is housed in a nice little slipcase and comes with a 3-track CD. A true cult object.

Best bits: Wonderfully self-deprecating introduction by Mr. Wakeford himself.
Worst bits: Wonderfully stupid introduction by writer Stewart Home (who has since tried to dismiss his contribution as some sort of joke).

Death in June: Misery and Purity
By Robert Forbes
(Jara Press, 1995)

This account of Death in June is intensely personal and intensely speculative, which can become a bit tiresome and should therefore be enjoyed in small doses. But it's a very nice little book and the approach should be recognizable to any slightly obsessive genre fan.

Best bits: Lots of photo sections and news clippings.
Worst bits: The author's endless exegesis of Douglas P's lyrics.

Blood Axis: Day of Blood
By Max Ribaric
(Occidental Congress, 2008)

A work solely devoted to the (in)famous neofolk outfit Blood Axis. A must for any obsessive neofolk fan. And is there any other kind?

Best bits: Lots of pictures.
Worst bits: Text in Italian, which Lord Bassington-Bassington can't understand a word of.

Sadly missing from the collection is David Keenan's excellent England's Hidden Reverse: A Secret History of the Esoteric Underground. The combination of being out of print for a decade and appealing to slightly – there's that word again – obsessive people has led to it changing hands for ridiculous prices on eBay and Amazon. Luckily, a reprint is planned and Lord Bassington-Bassington has it on pre-order.

But we advise you to not crack jokes about His Lordship's own obsessive tendencies. For anyone intimating that the bookshelves here at Bassington Manor have a few too many tomes of Lovecraftiana or titles about style might end up getting a taste of Lord Bassington-Bassington's jaws.