The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009

I bought the Kindle version of the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition. The information contained in the book is excellent for anyone interested in a compilation of the biggest hits from 1955 to 2009 and facts about the artists. But the conversion of the book to the Kindle format for Android devices leaves much to be desired. Specifically, the layout of the Artist information section is absolutely terrible. The information on each page of the section appears in an area about one-third of the width of the page. In some cases, headings with artist names break at inappropriate places. For instance, on a Galaxy Note 4, at a comfortable font size for reading, the last two letters of Aaliyah's name are on a separate line from the rest of her name. Most lines of text on the phone have room for only two or three words; fine print sometimes gets to five words. About a word more fits on a line on a 9.7 inch Android tablet. I have tried the narrow margins setting in the app, to no avail. In short, the conversion of the book to Kindle makes for a very unpleasant reading experience.

This book is wonderful and exactly as it's billed. And unlike most Joel Whitburn books it's not horribly ugly (they really have some terrible designers, there). I have picked it up at least once a day since purchasing it a month or so ago. Highly recommended.I had to dock a star, though, because the cover's glossy laminate removed itself within a couple of weeks. The book is still in decent shape, but the low quality doesn't necessarily instill a lot of faith that the book will last me as long as I'd hoped. Without the glossy film on the cover, it's basically thin poster-board, and susceptible to moisture and bends too easily.

If you're a fan of Pop Music btwn 1955-2009 this is one of the BEST books ever to buy for yourself or as a gift. You'll hear a song on the radio you haven't heard in a long while, will open the book to find out where it charted and will find yourself 30 minutes later leafing through it looking up songs/bands you love. It's mind-blowing. Discovering that The Who only ever peaked at #9 while other one hit wonders only charted in the Top 40 once and peaked at #1? It's awesome. I own this book and have given it as a gift to a bunch of people and it's always a BIG hit. I've read that this Vol. (Vol. 9) is the last one to be printed. I also own Vol. 8 and that's just as great. Grab one of these (all of the ones I've purchased I bought used through Amazon) before they become even harder/more expensive to find. They're definitely worth it!

This book was a vital source of information when I was in the radio business. I've worn out two copies over the past twenty-plus years and am now on my third copy. Being a music lover with an appetite for knowledge of Top 40 chart history, I purchased this one to enjoy in my leisure time.Thanks to Joel Whitburn and his staff for their diligence in compiling the chart information in this book. There are many variations of Billboard chart info books in print, but this is the most valuable and basic reference source available. It contains the info you need and the layout makes it easy to use. If you're into music research or just hungry for personal info about your favorite songs, this is the book you want. There has been a copy of this book in every radio control room I've ever stepped into. I honestly don't know what I would have done without this book and the valuable information it contains.

Music lovers will definitely find this book a "must-have". As you flip through the pages, you will get to remember that long-forgotten song you used to listen back in the day, how popular it was and when it reached its peak position at the Billboard's top 40. The book is essentially organized by artist and their chart achievements, but there are also smaller sections where song titles are organized alphabetically (with its peak position and year), #1 songs by year (and # of weeks at the position) and artist rankings based on chart performance. So all that means that regardless of your research criteria, you will probably find this book friendly and easy to navigate. It's been great not only to read, but also to build my music library organized by dates and discover "new" old songs I've never paid attention to. If you subscribe to one of these streaming services and plan to build an entirely different playlist to share and enjoy, this book might be of great help.

This is my 4th version of this book. I have been using this book for 25 years or more for reference on top 40 records. Being a DJ for years helped and just putting together classic cd collections by using this book helps me keep all my records,cd's and LP's in correct order because of the years and the dates I list. You can find what records made the top 40 from 1955 all the way up to 2009. Now after 2000 you have a lot of rap and hip hop records if you are into that or if the files your looking for are from the 60's 70's 80's or the 50's this book is for you. I swear by it.Why have I bought 3 versions before this one...I wore them out.

This Billboard book is a wonderful resource. I find myself looking up one singer and then that leads to another, and another, and before I know it, I've spent a lot of time with this book. Easy to read with nice charts and lists that provide a detailed history of the Billboard rock era.

I was delighted to find that this book was still available. As a presented on local radio, I use it almost daily as a reliable and clear source of information on popular music spanning a period of more than 50 years. In addition to the hit record listings, the summary information of each of the artists is particularly interesting and adds greatly to the value and interest of this book.

A great reference book for America's Top 40, covering the artists and their hits from 1955 to 2009. I say 2009, because on the website it says from 1955 to 2005. I didn't expect to cover the period up to 2009. I can read some of Lady Ga Ga's hits and Rihanna's..Having the 1st edition, covering 1955 to 1983, and the 9th edition this is great to read with updated versions along with my other Billboard and Guinness reference books.

For those who do not have the Top 100 Hits it can be attarctive, but I am also interested on what happened from the 41 position until 100th, so I was a little dissapointed, in any case it is the same information but exctracted and shorter. Good fun in any case.

I have always enjoyed using the reference books of chart music and it never ceases to amaze me the different hits artists have between countries some big hits in the UK never charted in the USA and viva versa great reference book

What a great way to rediscover forgotten songs and artists!I really enjoy this book. It is an amazing resource for any record collector, DJ or music fan. The book covering the complete Top 40 singles chart history in America and contains a treasure trove of wonderful information.If you are true music fan you must have this music bible. Joel Whitburn did it perfectly well.