Tony Banks: “Man of Spells” book by Mario Giammetti comes 2026

Kingmaker Publishing have announced Tony Banks: Man of Spells – The Magician of Genesis by Mario Giammetti to be published on 19 February 2026.

Tony Banks: Man of Spells – The Magician of Genesis is the first ever English language biography of one of rock music’s most gifted and influential writers and performers. Genesis expert Mario Giammetti recounts the story of Banks’ life and music in exhaustive detail. The book focuses in particular on Banks’ frequently overlooked solo career while also covering all of his work with Genesis. Giammetti draws from a number of interviews which he has personally conducted over the years with Banks, alongside interviews with other key personalities in the musician’s circle.

Tony Banks: Man of Spells – The Magician of Genesis shines a light on a musician who remains an enigma to many people despite his enormous success and widespread influence. It contains 250 pages and is illustrated with more than 100 images. You will see many rare and previously unpublished photographs, 

There was a book of the same name, published in 2006 in Italy in Italian language only. This new version is a completely different project. It offers far more photos and is based on far more interviews Mario conducted with Tony, mainly after 2006. Also, Mario interviewed further 18 people who have worked with Tony. The parts he used from the old book were revised accordingly.

Gregory Spawton, co-owner of Kingmaker Publishing comments: “While there have been various books written by or about all the other major players in Genesis, there has until now never been one focused exclusively on Tony Banks. We felt it was important to shine a brighter light on his life and career. Following the success of his two Genesis books which we have previously published, Mario Giammetti was the compelling author to write this biography.”

Mario Giammetti is an Italian music journalist with over 35 years’ experience. In 1991 he founded the Italien Genesis fanzine Dusk (www.dusk.it). Today, it is the only printed magazine in the world dedicated to Genesis. He has written over 15 books related to the world of Genesis. This is his third to be published in English. This first was Genesis – 1967 to 1975: The Peter Gabriel Years. Then came Genesis – 1975 to 2025: The Phil Collins Years. Our interview with Mario, conducted earlier this year, can be found here.
 
Tony Banks: Man of Spells – The Magician of Genesis is available for pre-order now. Either from Burning Shed or the Band Wagon USA.

Discuss this with other fans in our forum in this thread.