Fifty years to the month after Trouser Press published its first issue, Trouser Press Books has released Zip It Up! The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974 - 1984. This 440-page large-format paperback collects more than 90 of the best articles - profiles, interviews and histories - that appeared in the magazine fans have called "the bible of alternative rock" but had a broader mission than that. Sections on: . the 1960s. classic rock. glam rock. prog and art rock. reggae. the roots of punk. American punk and new wave. UK punk and new wave. post-punk Annotated with recollections and reflections on the changing times, the ridiculous business of independent magazine publishing and the colorful, complicated artists - illustrated with cartoons, covers, documents and ads from the Trouser Press archive - Zip It Up! is vintage rock journalism of a form that is no longer widely practiced: features heavy on historical detail and lengthy, probing interviews, all written with wit, intelligence and a willful expression of opinions and values. It is also an extensive document of rock's evolution from the 1970s to the mid-'80s, often capturing now-iconic bands in the early stages of their existence. By turns reverent, snarky, adulatory and cynical, Zip It Up! is a rich grazing ground for fans and students of music and music journalism.