Clear a spot next to the stereo system for this book. Culled from an original edition of six volumes, The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music boasts a million words devoted exclusively to pop music in all its glorious incarnations. With this book next to the CD collection, readers are virtually guaranteed to be able to answer all manner of niggling questions like the name of the Bangles' first album or Ira Gershwin's birth date. Album and video information along with suggested bibliographies accompany descriptions of music by the likes of Boy George, The Pet Shop Boys, Jimmy Boy, and Boy's Own, as well as thousands of other musical boys and girls. The force of the information in this hefty volume is twofold--the sheer amount of it and its evenhandedness. One hit wonders that have practically faded into oblivion are treated with the same depth of coverage as Goliaths like Elvis and the Rolling Stones. And with its objective tone, readers are free from the writers' opinions about a given band or performer and left to interpret the facts on their own.