C.F. Martin Guitar Eye-candy photos beautifully laid out and not too complicated reading historical essays
581903
Beautiful, maybe the finest, photos of incredible guitars are handsomely presented in this book.  The photos of early C.F.Martin guitars, alone, was well worth the book-price of "admission" in my view.

The book offers "not-too technical" reading about how Mr. Martin evolved from 18th & 19th century European and Spanish guitar-building influences to lead us through his experiments to craft and perfect "America's Guitar", the Dreadnaught;  as he escaped the European Cast system (via the Atlantic Ocean, like millions of others) and wholly immerse (commercially & personally) into the new nation's booming cultural melting-pot of NYC to found (in 1833) his namesake company (now 180 years of age and going strong), anchoring ultimately in beautiful 19th century Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Yes, I enjoyed the book cover to cover, but I am Martin Guitar-biased.  The contributing writers were not attempting to write the full history of the C.F.Martin Guitar Company and they did give due-credit to predecessor Historians for their excellent earlier works.  The contributing writers wrote to shed light on the un-seen physics and engineering within the early guitars and they let the readers find the suprise, spicy tidbits of peoples' lives along the way too.

No regrets with this book;  except, as with all good books, the come to an end.
4644643
2000 Guitars is a fantastic and gorgeous coffee table book. 2,000 Guitars is a comprehensive visual and historical guide to that most lusted-after of instruments, the guitar. Taking in everything from sixteenth-century acoustics to cutting-edge electrics, it has been compiled by some of the world's finest and most knowledgeable writers and experts on the subject. Trust me folks, you WON'T be disappointed in this book at all if you, too, love guitars. Buy it!!!
519375
I have been an avid fan of the Chili Peppers for over 20 years.  If you're not a fan, than I'm not sure how much interest you would have in this book, but from my perspective it is simply amazing.  Not just a coffee table picture book, but a good read with plenty of facts, stories, and anecdotes by each member of the band and those close to them that lived through these photos alongside them. Between this and Anthony's book "Scar Tissue"(which is a great read for even non-fans) you really get a unique perspective.  This book is laid out beautifully and the pictures are clear and each of them tells a story, of intense passionate love of music, life, dedication, friendship, and much more.  I can't praise this enough.
1370289
Beautiful color photos are on almost every page of this book, covering the "golden age" of slot cars (roughly coinciding with the '60's)Those of us old enough to remember those glory days (never mind how  old!)will drool over the shots of the Cox, KB, and Monogram cars (and  probably bore to tears those around us with long speeches about how things  were in the "good old days")The "backbone" of the home  slot racer, Strombecker,is well represented here as its earlier British  counterpart,Scalextric. The fact that remainders of the Cox inventory wound  up in land-fills will bring tears to the eyes of many of us...The book is  worth the price for the photos alone, with the excellent text being icing  on the cake.  Not as comprensive as I would have liked but you can have  everything... one minor criticism being some models are given significant  coverage in the text, with no photos of them presented. But man, this old  slot car racer has loved every mintue spent browsing, and remembering, with  this book....
745200
This beautifully presented book is filled with iconic photographs in exquisite resolution.  I had seen many of those photographs in various sites before and so it was especially delightful to find them again in this volume. Each photograph is given a full-page, with the photographer and title listed below.  On the facing page -- details about the photographer, the photograph, and -- most wonderfully -- the photographer's description of the reason for taking the photo, the process of taking it, and what the photograph has come to mean.  Just below this summary, the words that seem to be most evocative of the photograph -- from the photographer's own words.  Thus words and image together add to the meaning of the photograph.

Lovely photographs -- the iconic Afghan girl with green eyes, Ethel Kennedy just after her husband Bobby has been shot, Che Guevara cigar in mouth.  Those are just a few.

I am teaching a course on Visual Rhetorics and the book has been particularly useful.  I highly recommend.
4767863
(full disclosure: I own a guitar made by Rick Davis, the luthier in the book, and it's my favorite material possession)

This is really two books woven together.  The first is a history of the guitar... how it developed in American music, and how it became the icon it is today.  The second story is about how the author lost a beloved guitar to baggage handlers, and had a new instrument handmade for him - and documented that process along the way.  Each story is compelling in its own right, but together, they're more effective than either one would0 be separately.  The historical part is imbued with a sense of the author's personal love for guitars, and the personal story is given a sense of academic discipline and rigor.

If you love guitars, and are interested in how they are made and how they became so widespread and important, read this book!
3575707
Sumptuous photographs of engravings. Well organized into chapters on exploration, use of plants in society and good historical perspective  that is intelligent and well researched
630217
I Love Music: All about Musical Instruments" is a photographic non fiction book about musical instruments. The pictures were high quality photographs with a close focus of popular instruments. I liked how the book included classical instruments as well as newer modern electronic instruments. Next to the picture, there were relevant facts about the location being featured. The typography was clean and attractive. Books like this are really great to introduce new items to small children.
I received this book for a discount, which gave me the opportunity to give you my honest opinion.
3835357
The photography catches one's eye; the explanations and history inform and delight.  This book is a perfect introduction for readers who do not necessarily want a long tome, and a piquant taste for those who long to hunger for an archeological, artistic, and historical feast that can be found elsewhere.
965931
~ The Stratocaster Chronicles provides the reader with a detailed history and accounting of the first 50 years of Stratocaster production.  This well-written book provides a great balance of text and photography to keep the reader entertained while learning the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the development and refinement of the best-selling guitar of all time.  Spread over 280 large-format pages, the author uses interviews and extensive research to make sure all aspects of the Strato-history are covered.
~ There is something for everyone here: discussion of the technical details of the guitar, discussion of some of the major artists who have used the Strat and their preferred idiosyncratic nuances with regard to guitar modifications, and plenty of photographs.  There is even a CD that includes interviews and guitar playing samples.
~ Highly recommended for any Strato-fans who want to know a little more about the history of their favourite guitar.  The only thing that may have improved the book would have been an attempt to clarify the somewhat confusing Fender serial numbering system.
1977355
Andrew Martin is the one responsible for selecting the artists who are this year's selection as being the tope interior designers in the world.  In this handsome, massive, color saturated tome are perfectly composed photographs of the most amazingly talented interior designers ever placed in one book.  The artists and the places they have designed are the epitome of the marriage of art and function.  Here are extravagant homes (palaces really), restaurants, vacation homes, and yachts in countries all around the globe.  From one set of images from a home in California to others in Turkey, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, South Africa, Portugal - the list is as extensive as the designers themselves.

Yet it is not simply fine design so amply displayed here that is a feat for the eye, but also the art in every form from paintings and sculpture to installations, to furniture and the use of light and flowers and fabrics that provide endless surprises and appreciation for just what the fine eye can produce.

Words cannot describe the contents of this magnificent volume, but it is a realm best appreciated through the curatorial eye of Andrew Martin that makes this coffee table extravaganza something that will appeal to everyone who admires quality.  Grady Harp, October 12
1927247
I grew up in the area and I learned something new just in the first minute of skimming the pages. Not to mention how beautiful the photos are :)
4574428
The highlights of rock and roll is all here or mostly so.  Its organized roughly chronologicallyin seven sections.  Each artists merits one or two pages and their careers are broadly outlined in a few paragraphs however the real star are the wonderful photos which are clearly labeled and they meticulously include the photographers credit.  This is a large coffee table book (11 by 11) that has soft leather binding which allows it to open easily and completely for easy viewing.  It has a black and gray cover with raised blue, yellow, and red lettering.  If you're looking for beautiful overview of close to fifty years in popular music history youll enjoy this book.
1228948
The book is well organized and fun to read. Lots of gorgeous pictures and history of the evolution of the musical genre.
4399189
The photos are lovely with great color and detail.  The paper is high quality and easy to write notes on.  Has interesting facts on each page.
4579914
This book is gorgeous. The photos are reproduced quite well, and the book looks and feels like quality. Included is a nice history of Ziegfeld Follies, along with brief biographies of many of the women.

Julie Newmar provides a fascinating Foreword (her mother was in the Ziegfeld Follies and posed for photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston--as did a teenage Newmar). We also learn much about photographer Johnston.

The highlight of the book for me, though, is the photographs (some are nudes) of actresses, including Renee Adoree, Adrienne Ames, Tallulah Bankhead, Theda Bara, Lina Basquette, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Billie Burke, Norma Shearer, Claudette Colbert, Betty Compton, Dolores Costello, Marion Davies, Claudia Dell, Billie Dove, Jeanne Eagels, Mary Eaton, and more.

Like George Hurrell, Johnston was a true artist. His work makes these beautiful women immortal.
4022069
I picked this book up the first day it was on sale, based on some reviews in Guitar Aficionado. I'm about half way through and am not disappointed at all.
Instead of a typical rock musician bio that details tours (throwing TV's out the hotel window, nailing groupies, etc) and provides little more than paraphrased reviews of earlier songs, this is a book that would appeal to the guitarist and/or true fan of Page. I loved the duo interviews with Page and Beck or Page and Jack White; Page's words on which guitar/effect he used for which song or album; or his interest in the occult, production methods, and musical influences.
It would be nice if all music bios were like this (I'm thinking of Keith's autobiography from several years ago which, while fun to read, was very little on the stuff that would be of interest to the guitar/musician fan).
So have fun with this book. Keep it on your music bookshelf.
And if you don't have a 58/59 Les Paul yet (or even a dragon-styled telecaster) after reading this book you just might!