Many books on the tango are written in Spanish. Some have been translated into English, but the translation is often rather poor, and can be difficult to read. Here are a few recent books in English which are readily available. Do let us know if you find others.


David Turner, Passion for Tango, Dingley Press, 2004
This book is written by a keen English tango dancer and describes his experiences of learning tango, as well as providing an account of many of the fundamental movements of the dance. Our Hastings students can purchase this book from Martello Bookshop, 26 High St, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7JJ, Tel: 01797 222242.

Paul Pellicoro, Paul Pellicoro on Tango, Souvenir Press, 2002
This is a readable, entertaining book, from a man who has taught tango to several stars of the screen. The best bits are the interviews with a wide range of tangueros, who give their views on learning and dancing the tango.

Simon Collier et al., ¡Tango!, Thames and Hudson, 1995
This is a big, glossy book, with some great pictures, especially of the history of tango. It’s pretty informative about tango’s past, but it does tend to elide Argentine and ballroom tango in the later sections.

Natalio Gorin, Astor Piazzolla: A Memoir, Amadeus Press, 2001
This translation by Fernando Gonzalez is superb. If you are interested in Piazzolla and his contribution to tango music, this book is a great insight into the man and his work.

Robert Farris Thompson, Tango: The Art History of Love, Pantheon, 2005
This book is written by an academic, and has a particular case to make: for the importance of African influences on early tango. It is knowledgeably and persuasively written, and gives a great account of the origins of the dance, but is ‘heavier’ reading than the others listed here. The section on ‘traditional movements in tango’ isn't the most inspiring, but if you want carefully a elucidated history of the tango, this book offers it.

Horacio Salas, Tango: Poetry of Buenos Aires, Manrique Zago, 1998
The text of this book is sometimes erratic and the English isn’t always perfect, but there are some great old photographs, many tango lyrics (these are translated pretty well), and quite a lot of material on the early days of tango.

Page updated September 2007