What do you think?
Rate this book
Eternal Goth: Exploring the World’s Most Enigmatic Cultural Movement
Journey through the labyrinthine alleys of Goth culture to unravel its defining aesthetics, explore its musical evolution, and examine its profound impact on the arts.
Being Goth transcends mere fashion choices; it’s a mindset, a way of seeing the world through a different lens. Through humor laced with black comedy and an appreciation for the mysterious, Goths reveal themselves to be intelligent, romantic, and artistic realists. But where did this culture originate?
Eternal Goth delves into the roots of Goth, tracing its evolution from a post-punk offshoot to a global phenomenon that has left its mark on music, fashion, and pop culture. Along the way, you’ll learn about:
The pioneers of Goth music, including the dark melodies of Joy Division, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and more
The eerie landscapes of Tim Burton’s movies, inspired by the beautiful and macabre world of the Goth
The many ways in which one can be Goth, from romantic, elaborate, historically inspired fashions to more casual and modern looks
The place of Goth in pop culture, including characters like Wednesday Addams, Lisbeth Salander, and Lydia Deetz
Over 100 full-color photographs of Goth icons and influential media, illustrating the popularity of the culture through the ages
Grasp the essence of Goth and celebrate its enduring allure with this comprehensive history.
Being Goth transcends mere fashion choices; it’s a mindset, a way of seeing the world through a different lens. Through humor laced with black comedy and an appreciation for the mysterious, Goths reveal themselves to be intelligent, romantic, and artistic realists. But where did this culture originate?
Eternal Goth delves into the roots of Goth, tracing its evolution from a post-punk offshoot to a global phenomenon that has left its mark on music, fashion, and pop culture. Along the way, you’ll learn about:
The pioneers of Goth music, including the dark melodies of Joy Division, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and more
The eerie landscapes of Tim Burton’s movies, inspired by the beautiful and macabre world of the Goth
The many ways in which one can be Goth, from romantic, elaborate, historically inspired fashions to more casual and modern looks
The place of Goth in pop culture, including characters like Wednesday Addams, Lisbeth Salander, and Lydia Deetz
Over 100 full-color photographs of Goth icons and influential media, illustrating the popularity of the culture through the ages
Grasp the essence of Goth and celebrate its enduring allure with this comprehensive history.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2025
3 people are currently reading
2960 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 29, 2025
Absolutely fucking horrible. Under-researched, clearly written by a poser who thinks anything they listen to counts as goth. Keeps conflating similar alt genres with goth. Conflates ANYTHING dark and miserable with goth- goth isn't even about being miserable to begin with? Nearly every goth I encounter at goth nights are really cheerful. It's so posery to just act miserable because of the idea that that's what goth is about. It even calls a fucking Taylor Swift goth? Like, that's NOT how genres and subcultures work. It has none of the music attributes that makes music goth. The author clearly has no clue how music genres actually function or what it represents about a song. Maybe it's gothic, but not fucking goth, jesus christ.
Not to gatekeep, but some actual effort to be correct when trying to write a book that educates people about a culture is necessary. None is apparent. I have no idea how this actually got published in the first place, it's so fucking bad. All it does is make the misinformation about goth as a culture worse. It's fucking exhausting. It's going on the fire when i get home. Not even worth buying as toilet paper.
Just toss this and go read Goth by Lol Tolhurst to get actually educated about the real culture and history of goth. Please. For the love of any god out there, please.
Not to gatekeep, but some actual effort to be correct when trying to write a book that educates people about a culture is necessary. None is apparent. I have no idea how this actually got published in the first place, it's so fucking bad. All it does is make the misinformation about goth as a culture worse. It's fucking exhausting. It's going on the fire when i get home. Not even worth buying as toilet paper.
Just toss this and go read Goth by Lol Tolhurst to get actually educated about the real culture and history of goth. Please. For the love of any god out there, please.
September 15, 2025
I'm gonna rate this from the perspective of a self-identified goth.
I don't necessarily think this book is entirely correct on what it perceives as goth, nore does it strictly stay on the topic of goth. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
What this book holds is a beginners history on alternative culture as a whole and how all of it intercepts with the idea of goth. It covers all forms of media from past and present that influenced both goth, punk as well as emo.
Overall, I think it's very informative for those who have never dipped their toe into alternative cultures. The outsiders looking in crowd. But it's not for someone looking for a detailed history on the goth subculture.
I don't necessarily think this book is entirely correct on what it perceives as goth, nore does it strictly stay on the topic of goth. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
What this book holds is a beginners history on alternative culture as a whole and how all of it intercepts with the idea of goth. It covers all forms of media from past and present that influenced both goth, punk as well as emo.
Overall, I think it's very informative for those who have never dipped their toe into alternative cultures. The outsiders looking in crowd. But it's not for someone looking for a detailed history on the goth subculture.
September 1, 2025
This is a very fun and entertaining history of goth that covers many different subsections. It is also very well put together with beautiful pages and great additions to the chapters including awesome playlists.
July 17, 2025
I love this book! It’s so interesting and is right up my alley. I’ve been talking about it to my coworkers and friends about it.
January 1, 2026
A real shame such a beautiful cover is wasted on such a badly researched book which stays firmly surface level and is full of 'comic' sarcasm and childish writing.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews