Customer Reviews

Discovering Antique Phonographs

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Tim Fabrizio and George Paul's 1996 book, "The Talking Machine - an Illustrated Compendium," ranks as the finest book ever written on the history of the phonograph. Lavishly illustrated, it is both authoritative and eminently readable. It is hard to imagine anyone, even the authors, improving upon this work, however they have done exactly that with "Discovering Antique Phonographs." What is so remarkable about this achievement is that this new book serves as a rich sequel to their first, yet stands independently as a superb work on its own. It is not surprising that Fabrizio and Paul were able to come up with hundreds more historic and fascinating phonographs to picture in the new book. What is surprising, however, is that this new volume, like their first, includes a very comprehensive history of sound recording. Amazingly, the authors cover the same historic ground as they did in their first work without being repetitious or redundant. They approach the same story from a whole new perspective, so that while both books are complete and authoritative on their own they are superbly complementary. Although the text is engagingly written, most readers will probably be seduced by the stunning photography and extremely detailed captions. The selection of rare phonographs illustrated in large color pictures is stunning, yet every one tells a story or makes a point -- nothing is an extraneous throwaway just for cheap thrills. Like the first book, "Discovering Antique Phonographs" can be read from cover to cover as a serious work of history, or opened to any page and savored in random doses. In fact, the amount of information to be found in the captions makes the text, wonderful as it is, almost superfluous! These captions offer a vast amount of detail, which these skilled writers bring to life with charm and wonder. Like its predecessor "The Taking Machine," "Discovering Antique Phonographs" is a bargain and a must for anyone interested in the history of the phonograph.

Tim Fabrizio and George Paul's 1996 book, "The Talking Machine - an Illustrated Compendium," ranks as the finest book ever written on the history of the phonograph. Lavishly illustrated, it is both authoritative and eminently readable. It is hard to imagine anyone, even the authors, improving upon this work, however they have done exactly that with "Discovering Antique Phonographs." What is so remarkable about this achievement is that this new book serves as a rich sequel to their first, yet stands independently as a superb work on its own. It is not surprising that Fabrizio and Paul were able to come up with hundreds more historic and fascinating phonographs to picture in the new book. What is surprising, however, is that this new volume, like their first, includes a very comprehensive history of sound recording. Amazingly, the authors cover the same historic ground as they did in their first work without being repetitious or redundant. They approach the same story from a whole new perspective, so that while both books are complete and authoritative on their own they are superbly complementary. Although the text is engagingly written, most readers will probably be seduced by the stunning photography and extremely detailed captions. The selection of rare phonographs illustrated in large color pictures is stunning, yet every one tells a story or makes a point -- nothing is an extraneous throwaway just for cheap thrills. Like the first book, "Discovering Antique Phonographs" can be read from cover to cover as a serious work of history, or opened to any page and savored in random doses. In fact, the amount of information to be found in the captions makes the text, wonderful as it is, almost superfluous! These captions offer a vast amount of detail, which these skilled writers bring to life with charm and wonder. Like its predecessor "The Taking Machine," "Discovering Antique Phonographs" is a bargain and a must for anyone interested in the history of the phonograph.