
Taylor Swift by the Book
The Literature behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $16.07
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tiffany Tatreau
-
By:
-
Rachel Feder
About this listen
Audible Pick
From the childhood nostalgia of Peter Pan in Speak Now to the haunted halls of Rebecca in Evermore, Taylor Swift’s lyrics are packed with literary connections. Make sure you’re catching them all with this expert guide to the novels, poems, and plays that influenced her songwriting.
Let a literature professor and a musical theater artist guide you through the Swift canon—from Shakespeare to Dickinson to the Brontë sisters. Learn what “New Romantics” has to do with the old Romantics, get to know the Gothic monsters haunting Midnights, spot Taylor’s many Great Gatsby references, and brush up on your tortured poets!
Packed with fun facts, entertaining analysis, and literary-themed playlists that fans will love, Taylor Swift by the Book will turn anyone from a Taylor Swift lover into a Taylor Swift scholar.
©2024 Quirk Productions, Inc. (P)2024 Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
-
There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- By: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers. But how exactly has she managed to scale her success—multiple times—while dominating an industry that cycles through artists and stars like fashion trends? How has she managed to make and remake herself time and again while remaining true to her artistic vision?
-
-
The book that SAVED me and INSPIRED me once again
- By KJ on 05-21-25
By: Kevin Evers
-
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem
- How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music
- By: Rob Sheffield
- Narrated by: Rob Sheffield
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape. The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power.
-
-
The author reading his own words makes the audio book special
- By Juliana M. Mccalpin on 12-31-24
By: Rob Sheffield
-
Long Live
- The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift
- By: Nicole Pomarico
- Narrated by: Heidi Rew
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From MySpace comments to T-Party invites to Secret Sessions and beyond, Long Live explores the evolution of Taylor as well as the ride that we have been on with her through two decades of personal milestones—hers and ours, both good and bad. Like Taylor's music, it will make you feel seen and take you back to unforgettable times and places in your life. Take a trip through Taylor’s eras from the start of her groundbreaking career, with stops at each album and its iconic songs, the hidden Easter Eggs, and the many relationships that have informed the star’s music.
By: Nicole Pomarico
-
The Viking Age: New Perspectives on History and Culture
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Vikings evoke striking images of horned helmets, battle axes, and merciless coastal raids. Remembered for their shocking brutality and impressive naval prowess, these marauding pirates from the North have inspired poetry, fantasy novels, plays, symphonies, and even comic book heroes over the last 12 centuries. But do any of these enduring tropes reflect reality? Who were the Vikings really? What do we know about the period that bears their name? Explore these questions and more in The Viking Age, a 12-lecture course that corrects the record on a transformative period in world history.
-
-
Up to date with new info
- By Amy Cassidy on 01-05-25
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
-
Taylor: Era by Era
- The Unauthorized Biography
- By: Caroline Sullivan
- Narrated by: Katelyn Levering
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're all living in the Taylor Swift Era. Since her 2006 debut album, she’s sold more than 200 million records, sold out countless arenas, and become one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her Eras Tour is on track to gross more than $1 billion by the time it concludes in December 2024, and her most recent studio album hit No. 1 in more than 25 countries. In this revealing and entertaining biography, author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan charts Taylor’s journey.
-
Who Was Joan of Arc?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Karyn O'Bryant
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.
-
-
Kids Found Very Interesting
- By Hummer on 02-20-24
By: Pam Pollack, and others
-
There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- By: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers. But how exactly has she managed to scale her success—multiple times—while dominating an industry that cycles through artists and stars like fashion trends? How has she managed to make and remake herself time and again while remaining true to her artistic vision?
-
-
The book that SAVED me and INSPIRED me once again
- By KJ on 05-21-25
By: Kevin Evers
-
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem
- How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music
- By: Rob Sheffield
- Narrated by: Rob Sheffield
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape. The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power.
-
-
The author reading his own words makes the audio book special
- By Juliana M. Mccalpin on 12-31-24
By: Rob Sheffield
-
Long Live
- The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift
- By: Nicole Pomarico
- Narrated by: Heidi Rew
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From MySpace comments to T-Party invites to Secret Sessions and beyond, Long Live explores the evolution of Taylor as well as the ride that we have been on with her through two decades of personal milestones—hers and ours, both good and bad. Like Taylor's music, it will make you feel seen and take you back to unforgettable times and places in your life. Take a trip through Taylor’s eras from the start of her groundbreaking career, with stops at each album and its iconic songs, the hidden Easter Eggs, and the many relationships that have informed the star’s music.
By: Nicole Pomarico
-
The Viking Age: New Perspectives on History and Culture
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Vikings evoke striking images of horned helmets, battle axes, and merciless coastal raids. Remembered for their shocking brutality and impressive naval prowess, these marauding pirates from the North have inspired poetry, fantasy novels, plays, symphonies, and even comic book heroes over the last 12 centuries. But do any of these enduring tropes reflect reality? Who were the Vikings really? What do we know about the period that bears their name? Explore these questions and more in The Viking Age, a 12-lecture course that corrects the record on a transformative period in world history.
-
-
Up to date with new info
- By Amy Cassidy on 01-05-25
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
-
Taylor: Era by Era
- The Unauthorized Biography
- By: Caroline Sullivan
- Narrated by: Katelyn Levering
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're all living in the Taylor Swift Era. Since her 2006 debut album, she’s sold more than 200 million records, sold out countless arenas, and become one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her Eras Tour is on track to gross more than $1 billion by the time it concludes in December 2024, and her most recent studio album hit No. 1 in more than 25 countries. In this revealing and entertaining biography, author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan charts Taylor’s journey.
-
Who Was Joan of Arc?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Karyn O'Bryant
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.
-
-
Kids Found Very Interesting
- By Hummer on 02-20-24
By: Pam Pollack, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem
- How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music
- By: Rob Sheffield
- Narrated by: Rob Sheffield
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape. The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power.
-
-
The author reading his own words makes the audio book special
- By Juliana M. Mccalpin on 12-31-24
By: Rob Sheffield
-
Who Was Joan of Arc?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Karyn O'Bryant
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.
-
-
Kids Found Very Interesting
- By Hummer on 02-20-24
By: Pam Pollack, and others
-
There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- By: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers. But how exactly has she managed to scale her success—multiple times—while dominating an industry that cycles through artists and stars like fashion trends? How has she managed to make and remake herself time and again while remaining true to her artistic vision?
-
-
The book that SAVED me and INSPIRED me once again
- By KJ on 05-21-25
By: Kevin Evers
-
Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust
- My Friendship with Patsy Cline
- By: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton - foreword
- Narrated by: Patsy Lynn Russell
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends - country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever, Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today.
-
-
Awesome!
- By Anonymous User on 04-10-20
By: Loretta Lynn, and others
-
Work in Progress
- A Novel
- By: Kat Mackenzie
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life—booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out—everything.
-
-
Super cute and funny
- By Carlye M. on 06-20-25
By: Kat Mackenzie
-
6 Times We Almost Kissed (and One Time We Did)
- By: Tess Sharpe
- Narrated by: Tess Sharpe
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of bickering, Penny and Tate have called a truce: they’ll play nice. They have to. Their mothers (life-long best friends) need them to be perfect, drama-free daughters when Penny’s mother becomes a living liver donor to Tate’s mom. Forced to live together as the Moms recover, the girls’ truce is essential in keeping everything—their jobs, the house, the finances, the Moms’ healing—running smoothly. They’ve got to let this thing between them go. There’s one little hitch: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing.
-
-
Enjoy the story
- By Annie on 01-25-24
By: Tess Sharpe
-
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem
- How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music
- By: Rob Sheffield
- Narrated by: Rob Sheffield
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape. The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power.
-
-
The author reading his own words makes the audio book special
- By Juliana M. Mccalpin on 12-31-24
By: Rob Sheffield
-
Who Was Joan of Arc?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Karyn O'Bryant
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her country. Though she was captured and executed for her beliefs, Joan of Arc became a Catholic saint and has since captured the world's imagination.
-
-
Kids Found Very Interesting
- By Hummer on 02-20-24
By: Pam Pollack, and others
-
There's Nothing Like This
- The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift
- By: Kevin Evers
- Narrated by: Candace Joice
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Singer-songwriter. Trailblazer. Mastermind. The Beatles of her generation. From her genre-busting rise in country music as a teenager to the economic juggernaut that is the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has blazed a path that is uniquely hers. But how exactly has she managed to scale her success—multiple times—while dominating an industry that cycles through artists and stars like fashion trends? How has she managed to make and remake herself time and again while remaining true to her artistic vision?
-
-
The book that SAVED me and INSPIRED me once again
- By KJ on 05-21-25
By: Kevin Evers
-
Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust
- My Friendship with Patsy Cline
- By: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton - foreword
- Narrated by: Patsy Lynn Russell
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends - country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever, Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today.
-
-
Awesome!
- By Anonymous User on 04-10-20
By: Loretta Lynn, and others
-
Work in Progress
- A Novel
- By: Kat Mackenzie
- Narrated by: Angela Dawe
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life—booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong? Turns out—everything.
-
-
Super cute and funny
- By Carlye M. on 06-20-25
By: Kat Mackenzie
-
6 Times We Almost Kissed (and One Time We Did)
- By: Tess Sharpe
- Narrated by: Tess Sharpe
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After years of bickering, Penny and Tate have called a truce: they’ll play nice. They have to. Their mothers (life-long best friends) need them to be perfect, drama-free daughters when Penny’s mother becomes a living liver donor to Tate’s mom. Forced to live together as the Moms recover, the girls’ truce is essential in keeping everything—their jobs, the house, the finances, the Moms’ healing—running smoothly. They’ve got to let this thing between them go. There’s one little hitch: Penny and Tate keep almost kissing.
-
-
Enjoy the story
- By Annie on 01-25-24
By: Tess Sharpe
-
Song of the Huntress
- By: Lucy Holland
- Narrated by: Kristin Atherton, Lucy Holland
- Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Britain, 60AD. Hoping to save her lover, her land, and her people from the Romans, Herla makes a desperate pact with the king of the Otherworld. But years pass unheeded in his realm, and she escapes to find everyone she loved long dead. Cursed to wield his blade, she becomes Lord of the Hunt. And for centuries, she rides, leading her immortal warriors and reaping wanderers’ souls. Until the night she meets a woman on a bloody battlefield—a Saxon queen with ice-blue eyes.
-
-
Worth it
- By Gloria on 05-10-25
By: Lucy Holland
-
Lagom: Not Too Little, Not Too Much
- The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life
- By: Niki Brantmark
- Narrated by: Ana Clements
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an interconnected world filled with goal-oriented perfectionists, Lagom reminds us to slow down, to decompress and destress, to be mindful of sustainability yet not deny ourselves pleasure. But lagom is not a rigid set of rules - sometimes you need more, sometimes you need less, and that's fine, too! With this idea-filled guide, you can learn to find greater balance, well-being, and harmony - and, most importantly, make time for the things that matter most in life.
-
-
More of a Buzzfeed list than a real book
- By deipnosophist on 06-19-18
By: Niki Brantmark
-
Long Live
- The Definitive Guide to the Folklore and Fandom of Taylor Swift
- By: Nicole Pomarico
- Narrated by: Heidi Rew
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From MySpace comments to T-Party invites to Secret Sessions and beyond, Long Live explores the evolution of Taylor as well as the ride that we have been on with her through two decades of personal milestones—hers and ours, both good and bad. Like Taylor's music, it will make you feel seen and take you back to unforgettable times and places in your life. Take a trip through Taylor’s eras from the start of her groundbreaking career, with stops at each album and its iconic songs, the hidden Easter Eggs, and the many relationships that have informed the star’s music.
By: Nicole Pomarico
-
Taylor: Era by Era
- The Unauthorized Biography
- By: Caroline Sullivan
- Narrated by: Katelyn Levering
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're all living in the Taylor Swift Era. Since her 2006 debut album, she’s sold more than 200 million records, sold out countless arenas, and become one of the most influential artists of her generation. Her Eras Tour is on track to gross more than $1 billion by the time it concludes in December 2024, and her most recent studio album hit No. 1 in more than 25 countries. In this revealing and entertaining biography, author and music journalist Caroline Sullivan charts Taylor’s journey.
-
Captive of the Crime Queen
- The Underworld Duet, Book 1
- By: Persephone Black
- Narrated by: Paige Reisenfeld, Aleksi Graves
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Years ago, Hadria Imperioli vanished after her father refused her mafia inheritance in favor of her younger brother. Now, she's resurfaced as Hades—ruthless leader of the Styx Syndicate mercenaries that terrorize Chicago—and she's hell-bent on finally claiming what's hers. When her brother announces his engagement to sheltered beauty Aurora Verderosa, Hadria decides it's time to take back her mafia crown and everything else that belongs to her... Including Aurora.
-
-
So very good
- By C. McKinney on 09-23-24
By: Persephone Black
-
For Love or Scandal
- By: J. J. Arias
- Narrated by: Kingsley Rose
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laney Menendez, a once-celebrated Hollywood director, has a chance at a comeback. The catch? She must first marry her brother's soap-star boyfriend to stop him from being outed by a tabloid. For Laney, the lavish fake wedding is meant to be all business, until she meets the wedding planner, Jennifer Acosta. Their attraction is instant and undeniable. As Laney and Jennifer work closely planning the wedding, stolen moments stoke the flames of a passion too powerful to resist. When Jennifer learns the truth of Laney's fake marriage, she faces an impossible choice.
-
-
Spicy and Sweet!
- By Lyn on 04-14-25
By: J. J. Arias
Not only do the authors go album by album and song by song discussing the possible references but they place the albums and songs based on literature eras with recommendations of books and songs for each era.
Now I’m a learned reader. I took AP English in high school and have been a voracious reader all my life but this was a masterclass in literary history that I just found fascinating and very enjoyable.
The narrator and co-author gives an excellent performance of very well researched and organized material on Taylor’s work.
I highly recommend this work for any Swiftie or lover of literature!
Fascinating!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.