Reggae music has always found a way to uplift us, comfort us, and make us believe that "every little thing is gonna be alright".

In these times of economic stress and international upheaval, reggae music is more necessary than ever.

Those of us who love the music already know, and those who have a passing interest will know soon enough, but even those who have never gauged the value of this Ital noise will find something of interest in the recently published "Reggae Scrapbook".

Roger Steffens (who recently blessed us with an excellent presentation on the life of Bob Marley) and Peter Simon have combined their 70 years-plus of experience reporting, chronicling, interviewing, archiving, and photographing reggae music and its leading purveyors into an absolute gem of a book.

The 'Reggae Scrapbook' is a hardcover, beautifully bound and lovingly rendered, volume of everything reggae has meant to these two professionals – the fans, the artists, Jamaica, and the world.

The book is loaded with obscure event flyers, special edition 45 presses, historically relevant press releases, landmark concert ticket stubs, foldout posters, heartical postcards, and even a collection of stickers.

Then, there's the accompanying DVD, which offers interviews with reggae luminaries like Alton Ellis, Joseph Hill (of Culture), The Heptones, Peter Tosh, Judy Mowatt, and Luciano. To be sure, this book is a veritable treasure trove of reggae memorabilia, and an absolute must have for anyone who fancies themselves a reggae connoisseur.

From the foreword by Toots Hibbert, to the final shot of Sly Dunbar tapping his drumsticks on a motel rail, this book is nothing short of fascinating.

With sections on all of reggae's architects, and many of today's brightest stars, this book offers intimate knowledge of this music and culture to fans of all ages, tastes, and levels of experience.

With that in mind, picking this book up to give on Christmas day would be quite a good idea, huh? I mean, let's face it, in Bermuda we all – every one of us – have a relative in St. David's, and we all – every one of us – have a close friend or family member who unreservedly loves reggae music. This, my friends, is the perfect gift for that person!

You can pick up one of these delightful stocking stuffers at the Afrikan Liberation Bookstore on Princess Street, at Soundstage in the Washington Mall, or by e-mail, rhythmatrandom@gmail.com.

And a word to the wise, if you buy one for yourself, get two – one to show, look at, and use, the other to preserve – because, as I said before, this book is an absolute treasure!