Many of you will be aware of "The Black Strat: A History Of David Gilmour's Black Fender Stratocaster", the superb book written by Phil Taylor, David's long-term guitar technician, studio manager, production director and much more [review here]. It takes a careful and detailed look at one of rock's most iconic instruments, very ably written by the only man to know Pink Floyd's equipment better than the band. Rather than a dry, technical manual, suited only to those who already know guitars inside and out, it is a rewarding and accessible book that Pink Floyd fans the world over will thoroughly enjoy, packed with truly rare pictures that you won't have seen before.

In September last year a fully revised (and expanded) third edition was published, containing plenty of new information as well as many more unpublished photographs, recently come to light, that further chart the Black Strat's illustrious history. Amending and elaborating on the previous edition, it also continues the story where the last one left off with David's recent live appearances, information, and photographs. More information on the third edition here.

The great news for those who have yet to buy the book, and who have a Kindle ebook reader, is that it has now been published in this format. You can buy it now for immediate electronic delivery to your device through these links: Amazon UK, Amazon.com, and Amazon Germany.

With the Roger Waters 2011 Wall tour having concluded a month ago, some of you will be missing that Comfortably Numb feeling of the shows. Others will be going through the exciting (and sometimes, quite stressful) process of getting their tickets for the 2012 tour.

The July 4th Les Nocturnes show on French radio station RTL, presented by Georges Lang, featured a bit of a treat. For those who want a reminder of just how good the vocalists are on the tour, or for those who want to hear them for the first time, click here to listen or download a special session done for RTL, featuring Venice (Kipp, Mark and Pat Lennon) along with Robbie Wyckoff [see picture to the right of them on stage in Birmingham, June 2011], presenting acoustic versions of Comfy Numb, Goodbye Blue Sky, The Show Must Go On, and Outside The Wall. To hear the songs, jump forward to the 42nd minute of the audio clip.

Our thanks to Fred Lepla for the info...

Frequent questions we get here relate to the upcoming vinyl editions that form part of the upcoming "Why Pink Floyd" reissue campaign. These collectors editions are bound to be extremely popular, and pre-orders are now being taken for the first two titles.

Originally released in 1973, The Dark Side of The Moon became Pink Floyd's first number 1 album in the US, remaining on the chart for 741 weeks between 1973 and 1988. It's one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed albums of all time. The vinyl edition presents the original studio album, digitally remastered in 2011 by James Guthrie, and is released on September 27th, 2011.

You can now pre-order DSOTM on vinyl from Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon France, Amazon Germany (who are very expensive for this), and Amazon Italy.

On its release in 1975 Wish You Were Here topped the album charts in both the UK and the US. Reflecting the band's thoughts of the time on the music business, and exploring themes of absence, the vinyl edition presents the original studio album, as above digitally remastered in 2011 by James Guthrie. It is released on November 8th, 2011.

If you are keen to add WYWH to your vinyl collection, you can pre-order through Amazon.ca, Amazon Germany (again, very expensive for this title currently), and Amazon Italy. Other retailers should have this shortly.

UPDATE: Just added to some of the Amazon stores is the vinyl edition of 1979's The Wall, and as above, this two-disc edition can now be pre-ordered from Amazon.ca, Amazon Germany, and Amazon Italy. Other retailers should have this shortly.

London's Idea Generation gallery, host for the recent Syd Barrett: Art and Letters exhibition, have just announced a pair of upcoming shows that will be of interest to Pink Floyd fans.

"Hapshash Takes a Trip: the sixties work of Nigel Waymouth" takes place between September 9th and October 2nd, 2011, and is a major retrospective of legendary British design duo Nigel Waymouth and Michael English, also known as Hapshash & the Coloured Coat. From the iconic UFO Club posters to pioneering fashion boutique Granny takes a Trip, Nigel Waymouth was omnipresent throughout London in the late 1960s. Nigel's psychedelic yet romantic Art Nouveau style, which he developed alongside Michael English, soon became a familiar trademark.

The exhibition will featuring original acetates, drawings, album covers, mind-bending psychedelic posters and personal photographs.

Storm Thorgerson: Big & Small follows, and can be seen between October 21st and November 13th, 2011. Widely regarded as the most influential and prolific designer of album artwork, Storm Thorgerson will be no stranger to Floyd fans. A conceptual study exploring the fundamental shift in record cover culture today, this new exhibition will explore the transition from vinyl to the tiny digital squares displayed on our MP3 players. Expect a series of ambitious installations and an exciting programme of events from the man behind some of the world's best loved and recognisable album artwork. To the right (click thumbnail) is a glimpse at a his show there last year.

Idea Generation is at 11 Chance Street, London E2 7JB, and more information can be found at their website: gallery.ideageneration.co.uk.