Books about ABBA and related subjects

Updated 5 May 2026.

PROJECT SUMMARY
It's the return of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions! Nine years after the first revised and expanded edition of the book was published, it's time for an updated version. It is based on the most recent edition, but has been revised and further expanded, with new and corrected information on the 1972–1982 period, more pages, and more illustrations. The book is printed on glossy paper and in full colour. The production of the book was funded through a month-long crowdfunding campaign on the Kickstarter platform, launching 31 July, ending 31 August 2025.

Prices for a signed copy of the book, including shipping, are as follows:
Sweden: €58
Europe (whether inside or outside the EU, including the UK): €75
Rest of world: €90

BACKGROUND
ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions was originally published in 1994 and then revised and updated in 2017. This most recent, award-winning edition sold out in 2020, and ever since then there has been demand for a reprint. Meanwhile, the moment the 2017 edition was published, I opened a document on my computer, and over the past eight years I have kept adding corrections, updates and new information to it. Going through the document in 2025, I was surprised by the amount of interesting stuff that was in there, making me convinced that it would be worthwhile not just to reprint the 2017 edition, but to use it as a basis for an enhanced edition, with all the corrections, updates and new information pertaining to the 1972–1982 era incorporated.

THE NEW STUFF
The new edition is not only of interest to those who missed out on the 2017 book: it is an essential purchase for those who want the best, most up-to-date, and most accurate version of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions, since there is plenty of new information in it. Some examples:

● If you've read my 2024 book ABBA On Record, you will know that there is a massive amount of previously unknown info about ABBA's recording sessions in the chapter about The Michael B. Tretow Tapes. The full story will remain exclusive to ABBA On Record, but, naturally, some of the information from those tapes have been incorporated into ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions to enhance its accuracy. 
● Some of the musicians who contributed to ABBA's recordings have strong memories of playing on certain songs they were never credited for, which I've only learned about since 2017. This information is detailed in the book.
● New facts and stories about many of the individual songs: some of these facts have emerged in recent years, some I have come across in vintage press, radio and TV interviews. One of my favourite gems, discovered in an old magazine article, is the original working title for Waterloo, used when Björn and Benny were writing the song.
● There are more details and insights concerning Björn and Benny's songwriting methods, both music and lyrics.
● Also quite a few new insights about Agnetha and Frida's methods and philosophies when recording vocals.
● A handful of recording session dates, that I wasn't aware of previously, are detailed.
● Since 2017 I have been able to hear an alternate mix of one of ABBA's 1982 recordings; the findings from this mix is included in the book.

The above bullet points are just some examples of what the new edition will offer (I have, of course, also endeavoured to correct a number of spelling, punctuation and grammar errors). Quite simply: the 2017 edition was pretty good, but this new edition is even better.

ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions has gained a new subtitle, "1972–1982", as the 2017–2021 Voyage sessions, detailed in ABBA On Record, are kept out of the new edition. There are three reasons for this:

1. If I were to add the 30 or so pages of Voyage sessions in ABBA On Record to ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions, the book would probably become excessively large and heavy, and be very expensive to ship.

2. Quite a few people will have invested in ABBA On Record mainly to read the chapter about the Voyage sessions, and it would be unfair to them to include that chapter in this revised volume of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions.

3. I want to keep the integrity of the original volume intact and let it remain a book about ABBA's "classic" period only.

FORMAT AND LAYOUT
As some of you may recall, at one point I considered printing this new edition on cheap and very thin paper and all in black and white. However, I've had a rethink. In all likelihood, this will be the final-ever edition of the book, so it should look as nice as possible. Accordingly, the second revised and expanded edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions is full colour, printed on glossy paper: the same type of nice, glossy paper as in ABBA On Record, but just slightly thinner. This paper enabled us to add more pages, but without any risk of the total weight of book and packaging exceeding 2kg, which in turn keeps shipping costs as low as possible. The format and measurements are the same as the 2017 edition, but there is no dust cover; the cover design will be printed directly on the hardcover. The number of pages have increased from 448 (the 2017 edition) to 512 – a 14 per cent increase; although the total "increase" in terms of updates is probably around 20 per cent.

In order to ensure that this is a quality product, the book is printed at a highly reputable and experienced book printer in Sweden. The design is handled by Maria Nicholas, whose expert design work graced both the 2017 edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions and ABBA On Record.

ILLUSTRATIONS
In the 2017 edition, the text was the "star" of the book, and the same goes for this new edition. That said, all the illustrations seen in the 2017 edition will be in the new edition. The text additions prevented the addition of any further illustrations.

CROWDFUNDING – HOW AND WHY?
Making this new revised edition of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions requires a financial investment, and – full disclosure – I simply don't have the funds to print it on the chance that it might sell enough copies to make the endeavour worthwhile. After considering various solutions, I concluded that the best way to make this happen was to raise the funds by conducting a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, one of the leading crowdfunding platforms. I'm pleased to report that the campaign reached its goal on 23 August 2025.

However, although the crowdfunding campaign ran for one month, starting Thursday 31 July 2025 and ending Sunday 31 August 2025, it is still possible to secure a copy of the book beyond the end date. You may pre-order a copy of ABBA – The Complete Recording Sessions 1972–1982 on this website.

SIGNED COPIES
Those who ordered a copy of the book no later than 30 April 2026 will receive a signed copy. There will be a personal dedication – for example, "To John" – and then my signature. I regret that I will be unable to write anything beyond your name and my signature. No copies ordered after 30 April 2026 will be signed.

There are three different shipping areas:
Sweden: €58
Europe (whether inside or outside the EU, including the UK): €75
Rest of world: €90

TIMELINE
At the time of writing (early May 2026), designer Maria Nicholas and I are in the final stages of design work on the book. We will then deliver the files to the printer and the book is expected to be delivered to the distributor towards the end of June 2026, at which time I will sign books for those who pre-ordered no later than 30 April 2026. The books will start shipping circa late June/early July 2026.

WILL THERE BE AN EBOOK?
I don't know yet. If the ebook happens it will be a text-only version with no illustrations, as I will need to keep production costs low. The final decision on whether to go ahead with the ebook will not be made until work on the hardcover book has been completed.

THANK YOU
Thanks so much for reading this presentation of the book. The crowdfunding campaign ended successfully on 31 August 2025. Many thanks to everyone who supported it so that this ultimate edition of the book could become a reality, and thanks also to everyone who has pre-ordered copies since then. A copy of the book can still be pre-ordered on this website.