What are the best books on MJ's music?

[Spaceship]

I'm really interested in learning more about how MJ made his music. What books should I get? Joseph Vogel and Damien Shields seem to have the best ones, but I've heard mixed things about them from fans.

 

[ChanceToDance]

Xscape Origins, Man In The Music, Making Michael, All The Songs, For The Record, Michael Jackson The Solo Years, they're all good reads... But if I were to choose one I'd choose All The Songs, it goes in depth into every song released.

 

[dethorro]

Thoroughly enjoyed both Making Michael and Xscape Origins. Don’t want to give you too many spoilers but I was especially surprised by the Al Capone reference in the chapter about the song Xscape. It was really cool to read about that.

If you have been a fan for a while, Man In The Music is not very interesting, at least not the original edition. The 2019 edition is better though and contains some information, which at that time, was not known to the public.

 

[Hot_Street]

MJ Studies Today CXIV
Posted on 14th June 2025 Author Kerry Hennigan

Abstract: Many fans of Michael Jackson collect books about the pop icon, wanting to read as much as they can about his life and career. Using examples from her own collection, MJ Studies Today columnist Kerry Hennigan believes that biographies presenting a factual portrait of the King of Pop are a rarity. Similarly, critical analysis of his work is often distorted by ill-informed impressions of Jackson based on the caricature the tabloid media has created of him, whereas Kerry maintains that paying serious attention to Jackson’s work reveals so much about the man who created it.

MJ Studies Today CXIV

Abstract: Many fans of Michael Jackson collect books about the pop icon, wanting to read as much as they can about his life and career. Using examples from her own collection…

michaeljacksonstudies.org

 

[Spaceship]

I have gotten Man in the Music by Joseph Vogel, Xscape Origins and Songs and Stories from the Vault by Damien Shields, and All the Songs by uhhhh since making this thread. No need to get For the Record or The Solo Years since they're available for free online. Those two are outdated, anyway.