33⅓

$33 1/3$ (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, $33 1/3$ RPM.

History
Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Barker in 2003. At the time, Continuum published a series of short books on literature called Continuum Contemporaries. One-time series editor Ally-Jane Grossan mentioned that Barker was "an obsessive music fan who thought, 'This is a really cool idea, why don't we apply this to albums'. PopMatters wrote that the range consists of "obscure classics to more usual suspects by the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones".

In 2010, Continuum was bought out by Bloomsbury Publishing, which continues to publish the series. Following a leave, Barker was replaced by Grossan in January 2013. Leah Babb-Rosenfeld has been the editor of the series since 2016.

Several independent books have been spun off of the series. The first, Carl Wilson's 2007 entry on Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love, was expanded for a 2014 Bloomsbury reissue with material not specifically pertaining to the Dion album and retitled Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste. Joe Bonomo, at the invitation of Barker, expanded his $33 1/3$ proposal on Jerry Lee Lewis's Live at the Star Club, Hamburg album into a full-length book about Lewis, the album, and his career titled Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, published by Continuum in 2009. A rejected proposal from writer Brett Milano for an entry on Game Theory's 1987 album Lolita Nation was instead expanded by Milano into a biography on the band's leader Scott Miller; that project, titled Don't All Thank Me at Once: The Lost Genius of Scott Miller, was released by 125 Books in 2015.

In August 2017, Bloomsbury announced the launch of $33 1/3$ Global, an extension of the $33 1/3$ series to popular music from around the world. The first two sub-series launched were $33 1/3$ Brazil, edited by Jason Stanyek, and $33 1/3$ Japan, edited by Noriko Manabe. The first book for $33 1/3$ Brazil was Caetano Veloso's A Foreign Sound by Barbara Browning. The first books for $33 1/3$ Japan were Supercell ft. Hatsune Miku by Keisuke Yamada and Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack by Rose Bridges.

Published titles
, 184 books have been published in the main series.

Main series
With release date
 * Red Hot + Blue (September 5, 2024) by John S. Garrison, on the album by various artists (1990)
 * White Limozeen (September 5, 2024) by Steacy Easton, on the album by Dolly Parton (1989)
 * Hounds of Love (November 14, 2024) by Leah Kardos, on the album by Kate Bush (1985)
 * The Moon & Antarctica (November 14, 2024) by Zachary Petit, on the album by Modest Mouse (2000)
 * Garth Brooks in...the Life of Chris Gaines (November 28, 2024) by Stephen Deusner, on the album by Chris Gaines (1999)
 * Paris 1919 (February 6, 2025) by Mark Doyle, on the album by John Cale (1973)
 * Universal Mother (February 6, 2025) by Adele Bertei, on the album by Sinead O’Connor (1994)
 * And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (February 6, 2025) by Elliott Simpson, on the album by Yo La Tengo (2000)

Without release date
 * New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) by Kameryn Alexa Carter, on the album by Erykah Badu (2010)
 * I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning by Hannah Seidlitz, on the album by Bright Eyes (2005)
 * Re by Carmelo Esterrich, on the album by Café Tacvba (1994)
 * Blue Bell Knoll by Chris Tapley, on the album by Cocteau Twins (1984)
 * Cosmic Thing by Pete Crighton, on the album by The B-52s (1989)
 * Believe by Lior Phillips, on the album by Cher (1998)
 * Disintegration by Andi Harriman, on the album by The Cure (1989)
 * Blonde by Yousef Srour, on the album by Frank Ocean (2016)
 * Plastic Beach by Ihoy Junyk, on the album by Gorillaz (2010)
 * Antics by Gabriel T. Saxon-Ruiz, on the album by Interpol (2004)
 * What's the 411? by Ricky Tucker, on the album by Mary J. Blige (1992)
 * So Tonight That I Might See by Anthony Gomez III, on the album by Mazzy Star (1993)
 * Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly by Zak Fusciello, on the album by Moss Icon (1994)
 * Inflammable Material by Kevin C. Dunn, on the album by Stiff Little Fingers (1979)
 * Carrie & Lowell by Joel Mayward, on the album by Sufjan Stevens (2015)
 * Violent Femmes by Nic Brown, on the album by Violent Femmes (1983)
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D by Justin Remer, on the album by "Weird Al" Yankovic (1984)
 * I'm Your Baby Tonight by Brandon Tensley, on the album by Whitney Houston (1990)
 * Dust Bowl Ballads by Allison C. Meier, on the album by Woody Guthrie (1940)
 * I Want You by Derrais Carter, on the album by Marvin Gaye (1976)
 * Timeless by Martyn Deykers, on the album by Goldie (1995)
 * Tin Drum by Agata Pyzik, on the album by Japan (1981)
 * Nightbirds by Craig Seymour, on the album by Labelle (1974)
 * The Land of Rape and Honey by Jason Pettigrew, on the album by Ministry (1988)
 * Shout at the Devil by Micco Caporale, on the album by Mötley Crüe (1983)
 * Tragic Kingdom by Rhae Lynn Barnes, on the album by No Doubt (1995)
 * Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version by Jarett Kobek, on the album by Ol' Dirty Bastard (1995)

33⅓ Japan

 * Kōhaku utagassen: The Red and White Song Contest by Shelley Brunt
 * Kogun by E. Taylor Atkins, on the album by Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band (1974)
 * Don't Be Swindle (August 8, 2024) by Mahon Murphy and Ran Zwigenberg, on the album by S.O.B. (1987)
 * Yellow Magic Orchestra (October 3, 2024) by Toshiyuki Ohwada, on the album by Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)

33⅓ Europe

 * Projekt Jon (February 22, 2024) by Nicholas Tochka, on the album by Ardit Gjebrea
 * Aquarium (August 8, 2024) by C.C. McKee, on the album by Aqua (1997)
 * Kollaps (September 5, 2024) by Melle Jan Kromhout and Jan Nieuwenhuis, on the album by Einstürzende Neubauten (1981)
 * Phaedra (September 5, 2024) by Dan Bynre-Smith, on the album by Tangerine Dream (1974)
 * To the Cold Land (September 5, 2024) by Brigitta Davidjants, on the album by J.M.K.E. (1989)

33⅓ Oceania

 * Kitten Licks (February 8, 2024) by Ben Green and Ian Rogers, on the album by Screamfeeder (1996)
 * Saturday Night Fever (September 5, 2024) by Clinton Walker, on the album by various artists (1977)

33⅓ South Asia

 * Dil Chahta Hai Soundtrack (October 31, 2024) by Jayson Beaster-Jones, on the album by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy (2001)

Genre: A 33⅓ Series

 * Neue Deutsche Welle (April 4, 2024) by Claudia Lnkin by Claudia Lonkin
 * Math rock (April 4, 2024) by Jeff Gomex by Jeff Gomez
 * Soul-folk (October 3, 2024) by Ashawnta Jackson
 * Shoegaze (October 3, 2024) by Ryan Pinkard
 * Vaporwave (October 3, 2024) by Kirk Walker Graves