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Michael Bracewell (Faber and Faber, £20, available Thursday).

As the subtitle suggests, this is less a conventional band biography than a prehistory, ending with the epochal arrival of Roxy Music’s debut album.

What seems a perverse decision is, in fact, an ingenious one; in place of the usual grind through tour dates, record releases and jet-setting we get an evocative social history of the rich cultural melange which shaped the band members and inspired the music.

As the Fifties explode into the Sixties, themselves refined and shaded into the Seventies, we follow Bryan Ferry’s move from pop art to art pop, the early manifestations of Brian Eno’s gift for inspired awkwardness, Andy Mackay’s aesthetic adventures and those who would bring these three together.

Re-make/Re-model is an impressive feat both of research (fresh interviews were conducted with all of the key players) and of prose.

It enriches one’s understanding of the music of one of the most important and magical bands in Britain’s history, while also serving as a wider document of that history and a reminder of just how much things have changed.

It captures Roxy’s grand ambitions, their pioneering renunciation of "roots and realism and sincerity," without losing sight of their humanity.

As Eno says: "Pop music isn’t primarily about making music. It’s about creating new, imaginary worlds and inviting people to try them out."’

Re-make/Re-model is all any traveller in Roxy’s world could want from a guidebook.

Alex Sarll

Reg Vallintine (Anchilles Press, £20, available Thursday).

Reg Vallintine is a giant among divers and this is his personal story.

His evocative tale spans over 50 years of Scuba diving from its very early beginnings to the safe and popular sport it is today.

It’s written in words which are stimulating, exciting and full of magnificent descriptions of people, places, dives and dive sites all over the world.

And it’s littered with anecdotes and meetings with such diving legends as Hans Hass and Jacques Cousteau, along with so many other interesting people and friends he made along the way.

From diving alone in British waters with just a rugger shirt for protection, to his favourite sunny island Giglio where he discovered one of the oldest Etruscan wrecks in the world, there are many diving experiences in caves and wrecks.

Other exciting expeditions include visiting Henry VIII’s warship Mary Rose and an expedition to Norway to locate and lift the remains of one of the X craft submarines which sank the Tirpitz in 1943.

Interwoven is the history of the British Sub Aqua Club from its very beginnings and we meet some of the characters and individuals who had the vision to bring Scuba diving within the reach of ordinary people through this now internationally recognised club.

The title is illustrated by more than 100 black and white and colour photographs and includes five maps of dive locations, which help bring his fascinating story to life.

Deep In The Blue is a feast of diving anecdotes and an interesting insight into the people, treasures and pure pleasure of diving unexplored waters.

A must-read for all divers and those who are tempted to give it a go.

Georgina Rodgers

Liz Smith (Simon and Schuster, £14.99).

Liz Smith, best known for playing the role of Nana in The Royle Family, has put together a series of short stories and observations, the inspiration of which was drawn from her own life experiences.

She has a strong sense of justice which can be seen throughout the tales, with most ending with good defeating evil in a simple way.

Her wry and astute writing sees the stories based in several eras and areas with characters battling on, many aware of how much of a struggle their lives really are.

In one modern-day tale, Doris has become scared of her critical daughter Christine and tries to please her at every turn.

But picky, up-market Christine has a secret - she wants to wear leather and rubber outfits and longs to find her dream man, a denim-wearing Porsche driver.

Smith has clearly experienced several cultures and changes of trends, and to contrast Christine’s secret passions is Eliza Northrop.

Her story is undoubtedly the best in the book and is said to be based on a character Smith once played at the National Theatre.

It’s set in the 1900s, where Eliza lives with her violent husband and downtrodden son in a small, dingy house.

She has no money as her out-of-work husband squeezes every last penny out of her to spend in the pub.

But one day destiny strikes and she comes into money, which she uses to build a better life for herself.

But all the while her husband is in the background, threatening to spoil Eliza’s dream.

Jottings is a wonderful coffee table book that is easy to dip in and out of at leisure.

Some parts start confusingly, with the era, character and context unclear, but the situations soon unfold to tell humorous, witty, laid back stories.

Caroline Davison