Maintaining a list of recommended Steely Dan books on this page. Please note that if you click through and buy anything, I will receive a commission since as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Books about the band:
Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan
Steely Dan: Reelin’ in the Years
Steely Dan (Complete Guide to Their Music)
Major Dudes: A Steely Dan Companion
Steely Dan FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About This Elusive Band
Nightfly: The Life of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen
Steely Dan’s Aja (33 1/3 Book 46)
Do It Again: The Steely Dan Years
Fiction:
Searching for Steely Dan by Rick Goeld
A Beast Without a Name: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Steely Dan
Die Behind the Wheel: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Steely Dan
Roger Nichols Collection:
The Roger Nichols Recording Method: A Primer for the 21st Century Audio Engineer
EQ Columns and Reviews by Roger ‘The Immortal’ Nichols
Official websites:
Steely Dan-related websites:
The Steely Dan Internet Archive
Podcasts:
Videos:
Miscellaneous:
Uncut Magazine UMG: Aug 2023 Steely Dan Special Issue
Capturing The Groove: Steely Dan’s Studio Process
Formal Considerations in Steely Dan’s “Aja”
A Royal Scam: The Abstruse and Ironic Bop-Rock Harmony of Steely Dan
Academic and Magazine Articles:
Special thanks to Ashley (@thedazzlingone on Twitter) for this list. Want to read these articles? Visit and support your local library!
Alper, Garth. “Not Just Derision and Darkness: The Interplay of Lyrics and Music in Steely Dan’s Compositions.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 309–22. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008161.
Borshuk, Michael. “Introduction: Steely Dan at 50.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 249–64. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008165.
Browne, David. “Steely Dan’s Quiet Hero. (Cover Story): Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, no. 1297, Oct. 2017, pp. 15–16.
Bruschi, Michael. “‘We’ll Build a World Together’: Intimacy, Alienation, and Donald Fagen’s Voice.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 323–40. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008157.
Clements, Paul. “Cultural Legitimacy or ‘Outsider Hip’? Representational Ambiguity and the Significance of Steely Dan: Leisure Studies.” Leisure Studies, vol. 28, no. 2, Apr. 2009, pp. 189–206. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/02614360902769886.
Dan, Steely. “Donald Fagen Takes Coachella: Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, no. 1234, May 2015, pp. 20–21.
Dana, Will. “Steely Dan: Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, no. 867, Apr. 2001, p. 31.
“Deacon Blues (1978)—Steely Dan.” Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Roman and Littlefield, 2013, https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NDI0MjUwNQ==.
Everett, Walter. “A Royal Scam: The Abstruse and Ironic Bop-Rock Harmony of Steely Dan.” MUSIC THEORY SPECTRUM, 2004.
Fellezs, Kevin. “Those Days Are Gone Forever: Steely Dan’s Grumpy Old White Guys’ Blues.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 265–86. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008164.
Gennari, John. “Groove, Voice, and Mystery: Reflections on Steely Dan’s Cool.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 341–64. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008155.
Gordinier, Jeff. “The Band With 2 Brains: Entertainment Weekly.” Entertainment Weekly, no. 528, Mar. 2000, p. 34.
Grubesic, Tony H., et al. “A Deep Dive into the Collaborative Networks of Yacht Rock.” Poetics, vol. 102, Feb. 2024, p. 101872. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2024.101872.
Hamilton, Jack. How the Insufferably Perfectionist Duo Captured the Hearts of a New Generation of Listeners. 2023.
Hiatt, Brian. “Donald Fagen Moves On: Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, no. 1308, Mar. 2018, pp. 19–19.
Jones, Peter. “‘I Was on the High of Highs, and Suddenly It Was over’: Linda Hoover on Her Great Lost LP with Steely Dan.” The Guardian, 7 July 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jul/07/linda-hoover-on-her-great-lost-lp-with-steely-dan-i-mean-to-shine.
Lavigne, Donald E. “The Odyssean Masculinities of Steely Dan’s Aja.” Rock Music Studies, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2022, pp. 287–308. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1080/19401159.2022.2008163.
Marshall, Wolf. “WALTER BECKER: Steely Dan’s Unsung Guitar Great: Vintage Guitar Magazine.” Vintage Guitar Magazine, vol. 35, no. 12, Sept. 2021, pp. 52–56.
Micallef, Ken. “Revinylization: Steely Dan’s Aja.” Stereophile, Jan. 2024, p. 119.
Petersen, George. “Steely Dan: Everything Must Go.” Mix, Aug. 2003, pp. 122–24.
Scaggs, Austin. “Rare Cuts, Big Hits: Steely Dan Dig Deep: Rolling Stone.” Rolling Stone, no. 1087, Sept. 2009, pp. 24–24.
Schonfeld, Zach. “Do It Again…and Again: Newsweek Global.” Newsweek Global, vol. 169, no. 13, Oct. 2017, pp. 42–44.
The Metalliance. “Creating a Classic: The Recording of Steely Dan’s Aja.” Mix, Aug. 2020, pp. 25–26.