Iconoclastic.

Acerbic.

Hilarious.

The influence of Tom Hibbert’s music writing across print, radio, TV and podcasts is incomparable. From his genre-defining work at Smash Hits to his ‘Who the Hell … ?’ profiles for Q magazine and beyond, this book brings together many of Hibbert’s funniest writings.

Compiled by Barney Hoskyns and Jasper Murison-Bowie at Rock’s Backpages, the archive of music journalism, Phew, Eh Readers? showcases some of Hibbert’s greatest pieces. Presented thematically and chronologically, they highlight his marvellously eccentric perspective on life and popular culture.

Many leading writers and journalists attest to Hibbert’s genius. This compendium supplements his writing with new reflections on Tom from some of his peers, colleagues and admirers, including Mark Ellen, Bob Stanley, Tom Doyle, Chris Heath, Sylvia Patterson, along with his widow Allyce.

Phew, Eh Readers? is a must-read homage to one of the most influential writers of our time, a man who left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.

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‘A loot drop of brilliance’ Naomi Alderman, author of The Power

Whether you’re an avid gamer, a Twitch subscriber, or just an incidental Subway Surfer, video games have changed the way you interact with the world, and have been part of our lives for over fifty years. Critical Hits is a celebration of play and playfulness, and the lasting impact of videogames.

Composed of sharp, impassioned, and inquisitive essays, this collection begins with an introduction by Carmen Maria Machado and presents video games through the eyes of eighteen writer-gamers as they straddle real and artificial worlds. In games, they find solace from illness and grief, test ideas about language, bodies, race, and technology, and see their experiences and identities reflected in-or complicated by-the interactive virtual realities they inhabit.

From a deep dive into “portal fantasy” games by Charlie Jane Anders and a comic by MariNaomi about her time as a video game producer, to the overlaps in gaming and poetry by Stephen Sexton, Critical Hits illuminates fragments of an industry that is wildly popular, grossly misunderstood, and absolutely spellbinding.

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‘I’ve fallen in love with this fabulous foursome … They are a phenomenon!’ Drew Barrymore

From @theoldgays, the internet’s most beloved foursome, a book of inspirational stories and aspirational advice for living life at the fullest.

The Old Gays have taken TikTok by storm with their viral videos, by turns outrageous and hilarious, fashionable and fierce. But as four gay men, aged from 67 to 80, Mick, Jessay, Robert, and Bill have lived through decades of momentous change and they’ve got stories that take more than three minutes to tell.

They grew up in the closet, experienced Stonewall, lived large during the gay sexual revolution, lost friends during the AIDS crisis, dealt with their own HIV+ diagnoses, and saw gay marriage became legal. Between them, they’ve been through it all – divorce, depression, bankruptcy, near-death experiences. And then there’s the dinner parties, the nudism, the professional bodybuilding, the orgies and the matter of church.

These are the tales – sometimes scandalous, sometimes profound, sometimes heart-breaking – that only an older gay man can tell. Their Guide to the Good Life is a celebration of lives lived to the fullest, and the art of getting old without getting bored. Whether it’s ageing, coming out, losing everything, starting over, finding happiness or just injecting a little more fun into proceedings, it’s good to know someone’s been there before, and they’re more than happy to give their best, bawdiest, most hard-won advice.

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