Reggae on CD: The Essential Guide by Lloyd Bradley (Kyle Cathie Limited, London, 368 pages, 1996)

While not "essential," this small (5" x 7-3/4") book is a nice reference guide that provides a solid -- if incomplete -- overview of the reggae albums that are available on compact disc.  Being a British book, however, it focuses heavily on UK CDs, which means that it omits some American CDs.  There are over 200 acts and 500 albums covered, but there still is a sense that some of the lesser-known people albums that are in The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, for instance, are missing.  Divided into four chronologically ordered sections -- "In the Beginning There Was Ska," "In an International Style" (Being a British book, this section focuses on the late '60s / early '70s, when the music invaded the UK.), "Natty Roots, Natty Culture," and "Dancehall Take Over" -- it goes into biographical and discographical info on the seminal artists in each subgenre / time period.  Thus, someone like Lee Perry has details on him in the ska/rock steady section, the international section, and the roots section. The book rates a pretty good number of albums per artist -- though they might be listed in separate parts of the book -- designating the best albums with a * and listing others as "ALSO RECOMMENDED" or just "SEE ALSO."  A brief description of the albums is usually included, ranging form a sentence to a paragraph.  All in all, Reggae on CD is useful for both biographical data and listening suggestions, but it should largely be a secondary source to a more comprehensive guide like Virgin or The Rough Guide.