A NEW "definitive" book telling the story of post-punk legends The Fall is set to be published in April this year.

Excavate!: The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall will feature never-before-published essays and ephemera from fans and collectors of the band which was formed by Mark E Smith in Prestwich in 1976.

It will be published on the April 1 2021 by Faber in hardback, ebook and audio.

From 1979 to 2017, The Fall released 32 studio albums, with vocalist and founder Smith the only constant member.

They were long associated with BBC disc jockey John Peel, who championed them from early on in their career and described them as his favourite band, famously explaining, "they are always different; they are always the same."

Smith's death in 2018 effectively put an end to the group.

A spokesperson for Faber said: "This is not a book about a rock band. This is not even a book about Mark E Smith. This is a book about The Fall group – or more precisely, their world.

"Over a prolific 40 year career, The Fall created a world that was influential, idiosyncratic and fiercely original; it was an education. Who wouldn’t want to be armed with a working knowledge of M.R. James, contemporary dance and Manchester City?

"Bringing together previously unseen artwork, rare ephemera and handwritten material, alongside essays by a slate of fans, Excavate! is a vivid, definitive record – an illumination of the dark corners of The Fall’s wonderful and frightening world."

The book is edited by Bob Stanley, the author of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop who has written for the Guardian, The Times, NME and The Face. He is also a film-maker and founding member of the group Saint Etienne. He was Writer in Residence at the British Library in 2017.