I'm not sure which came first—this book or the next one—but this one "feels" like the first. It's very much an unofficial "pop-star cash-in" targeted to the Boys' legions of fans during their "imperial phase." In particular, it seems aimed primarily at teenage girls who might have harbored romantic fantasies about one Boy or the other, if not both. For instance, there are horoscope pages that provide Neil's and Chris's astrological signs and reveal how compatible they would be with every other sign. (Did you know that Libras can be "a little flirtatious, just to prove to themselves that they can still attract the opposite sex"?) Filled with lots of early photos of the Boys and bits of fun Smash Hits-style trivia, it's a facile yet delightful period piece.

The Pet Shop Boys had originally envisioned publishing a book such as this every year—hence its title. But whether on account of insufficient sales or insufficient interest (or both), those plans came to naught, leaving this book the unique testament to those plans. Completely under their control (unlike the preceding publication), it succinctly covers a wide range of the Boys' activities and interests during 1987 and '88, including the album Actually, the singles "It's a Sin," "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" "Rent," "Always on My Mind," and "Heart" (along with their respective videos), the establishment of their official fan club, "candid" photos, fashions, and favorite records by other artists. It even has a crossword puzzle, but you'll wreck its value as a collectible if you were actually to do it.

This extremely rare and quite slim U.K. paperback—actually, little more than a one-off magazine—also appeared at the height of the Pet Shop Boys' popularity. I don't own a copy and know virtually nothing about it, although it apparently contains a great many photos, quotes by and about the Boys, a discography, chart positions, a trivia quiz, and the like. Clearly another cash-in, but that's understandable: as the aphorism goes, one should strike while the iron is hot, and in 1988 there weren't many hotter irons in the pop-music fire than the Pet Shop Boys. Of course, despite its title, it proved no more an "annual" than the preceding publication.

first edition


second edition

The first truly "essential" PSB book. Journalist Heath—who through the years has become the Boswell to the Pet Shop Boys' Johnson—accompanied Chris and Neil on their first concert tour (MCMLXXXIX) in Asia and Britain. As a result he produced this combination travelogue, interview compendium, and textual documentary. Ranging from June 1989 to August 1990, we get a quasi-intimate peek into the daily lives of the Boys that's both remarkably candid in what it includes—our heroes can seem downright petty at times, but you have to admire them for allowing that apparent pettiness to be recorded for posterity—and just as remarkably discreet in what it leaves out. First published in 1990, the second edition (1992) proved a bit lengthier with the addition of some new material.

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A completely unauthorized but informative "band biography" that is, as stated in its own sleevenotes, "based on interviews the Boys have given to the media and with their friends, colleagues and other members of the entertainment industry who have watched their surreal rise to stardom." (Surreal?) There's little if anything original here, but it very neatly compiles other sources into an extremely convenient package. By turns fascinating and frustrating, it makes for good though hardly essential reading.

Very much a sequel to the preceding Heath volume Pet Shop Boys, Literally, this book follows a similar format, covering the period of March-April 1991 (with an April 1993 epilogue) as it documents the Boys' first North American tour. It's particularly valuable for its behind-the-scenes, play-by-play account of their ill-fated appearance on The Tonight Show. Although it has the same basic strengths and weaknesses as the preceding book, the former definitely outweigh the latter, again making this essential reading for anyone greatly interested in the Pet Shop Boys.

I know very little about this slender Spanish-language publication, although it appears to be part of a series about popular music stars, "Idolos del pop" ("Pop Idols"). It has also apparently proved successful enough to warrant a second printing in 2000. If I were more proficient in Spanish (which I studied in high school and college but have practiced very little since then), I would probably order a copy for myself.

I don't own a copy of this French text, either. (My French is no better than my Spanish, probably sufficient for me to get the gist of any given passage, but every seventh word would surely have me scrambling for my Petit Larousse.) As its title (translated "Pet Shop Boys from A to Z") indicates, it's a PSB mini-encyclopedia, covering their work and career via alphabetically organized entries. But I can't attest to its accuracy or completeness. I might have been willing to work around my inadequacies with the language if the cover art hadn't been so appallingly cheesy.* And while it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover, a bad cover does nothing to enhance one's faith in the contents, especially when there are other obstacles to overcome as well.

*Cheese notwithstanding, I find it immensely interesting that both of these non-English-language books (and, by coincidence, page 165 of my own 1994 book Rock on the Wild Side) employ the "Can You Forgive Her?" striped cone-capped getups to depict the Boys. It appears that these costumes rival the "tuxes and yawning" cover of Actually, Chris's "Boy" cap, and his infamous Issey Miyake blowup jacket in terms of their sheer iconographic power.

Note: Links to Amazon for books are to the U.S. Amazon site.

A great big glossy tome documenting nearly all (note: nearly all) of the visual output associated with the Pet Shop Boys' career up through 2005, this high-quality prestige piece is clearly designed to affirm the Boys' status both as artists and as patrons of the arts. The real drawing cards here, however, aren't the copious illustrations themselves but rather the accompanying textual commentaries. Your guests will pick it up from your coffeetable—where it belongs, mind you, right there on prominent display, rather than tucked away on a shelf—and skim through, glancing at the pictures. You, on the other hand, will actually read it. An exquisite work, only the occasional intentional omissions (such as items that were deemed "unofficial," uninteresting, or too similar to other illustrated examples) and very minor errors render it less than perfect—and even that is a somewhat debatable assessment.