Florence Welch to Publish Book of Lyrics, Illustrations and Poetry

When you think of Florence Welch from her “dog days,” you think of a big production, fairy-like, the vocals heavy and the music making your heart swell. When you think of Welch’s last album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, the cover of which turned to some sort of Fleetwood Mac throwback, you think of a grown kind of magic that knows its own power.

It was time, then, for an ethereal wood nymph to channel supernatural gifts of song into something tangible for fans—though she may call it “useless,” as in the book’s title Useless Magic, it is magic nonetheless. In collaboration with the Fig Tree imprint of Penguin Books (we know several writers who would kill to magically drop into publishing), she’s including lyrics, poetry and even some drawings from her sketchbooks. It promises to be a vibrant look at Welch’s inner world, a voice no quieter than the one that belts in front of thousands onstage.

“I have long wanted to persuade Florence to write a book, and this will be a beautiful record of her songs, a glimpse of the ideas that have inspired them, and a first look at her poetry,” Juliet Annan, Fig Tree’s publishing director, said in a statement. Florence adds that “it is an honour” to work with Penguin Books on her first release. She’s previewed the preface of Useless Magic on Twitter, which you can read below.