Walk On By by Alan Lewens (HarperCollins, £17.99)

THIS latest history covers a century of popular music, a task that must surely have taxed and tested the stamina of its creator.

First things first. The plus factor is that this volume - a coffee table tome companion to the television series of the same name - provides an instantly-accessible reference book for student and fan. And that's fine.

The downside will be the disappointment for the hardline devotee who buys this book expecting brand new revelations.

For there is nothing in these pages that has not been said before by the countless writers who continue to rake over the cooling embers of popular music.

The writer uses a sequential approach but the area covered is, frankly, too vast. In particular, the crucial process of musical cross-fertilisation is rather neglected.

For this is history by dictionary - jazz, blues, rock, ragtime to rap are dismissed in relatively few words. The casual follower is not told in any great depth how the different forms stepped in and out of each other's bathwater.

Here's an example. Take the evolution of the chord riff, from Eddie Cochran to Pete Townsend and on to the metal bands. No tributes are paid to John Lee Hooker, the Delta bluesman who sired the most-used cliche in the rock player's armoury.

This is important forensic evidence, a sort of musical DNA. It should be produced at any inquest into the sounds that now form the backing track to our lives.

Perhaps a truly in-depth analysis was beyond the remit of the Walk On By project.

In that case, this book is perfect for the reader who wants an at-a-glimpse reference book, one that will eventually take its lonely place on the shelf among unrelated volumes.

In some respects, Alan Lewens' labour of love will perfectly suit the short-span attention typical of today's consumer.

But it does look like a scissors-and-paste job to some extent.

John Phillpott