The Books

The Profile

The Books were an American duo formed in New York City by Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong, known for blending acoustic instruments with found-sound collage. They released four acclaimed albums between 2002 and 2010 and disbanded in 2012.

Members: Nick Zammuto (USA) and Paul de Jong (Netherlands). Formed in New York City. Core style mixes samples with acoustic strings and subtle electronics (often cited as folktronica). Albums on Tomlab (first three) and Temporary Residence (The Way Out).

DeBaser’s reviews praise The Books’ inventive folktronica: acoustic strings, laptop edits, and found voices woven into concise, genre-blurring albums. The debut Thought for Food and The Lemon of Pink are hailed as modern gems; Lost and Safe is warmer and more accessible; The Way Out expands the palette with dense sampling. Overall sentiment is strongly positive.