This updated and expanded edition addresses the instrument's growing popularity with information on the latest virtuosos, uke luthiers, songbooks, CDs, and more. It features dozens of additional pictures of vintage ukes and sheet music. A colorful, fun-filled look at this intriguing musical instrument containing 200 color photos of rare and unusual ukuleles, The Ukulele is a must for all new uke fans and an essential upgrade for those who bought the first edition.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Visual" is the key word in the title of this thoroughly engaging look at a whimsical, diminutive instrument that's had much more influence on pop music and culture than one would initially guess. With its elaborate illustrations and eye-popping, color-drenched photos of ukuleles, famous players and manufacturers, sheet music and a wide variety of other memorabilia, The Ukulele traces the history of the instrument from its birth to present day with a fun text that's equally rich in trivia and history. As the instrument moves from turn of the century Hawaii to popularity on the Mainland, it helped boost tourism in Hawaii, influenced Tin Pan Alley songwriters and performers as diverse as Arthur Godfrey, Tiny Tim and Joni Mitchell, and became a key icon in advertising, even when the product had nothing to do with ukuleles. Author Beloff, the associate publisher of Billboard magazine, has written several ukulele songbooks and recorded a CD of original ukulele songs, and there couldn't be a better tour guide for time travel through the evolution of this wacky little instrument. His profiles of some of the great ukulele players and key manufacturers are particularly interesting, and he presents an intriguing look at Hawaii as a culture through the images projected of its most famous export to the rest of the world. Great fun and a good read. -- From Independent Publisher
The Ukulele is an entertaining look at this whimsical, diminutive instrument and its influence on popular music and pop culture worldwide. Elaborately illustrated, the color-rich book brings to life the "jumping flea" in a unique showcase of rare ukuleles, famous players and manufacturers, and witty memorabilia and artwork. With a fun-to-read historical narrative, The Ukulele traces the instrument's evolution from its 1800s roots to the current ukulele festival in hawaii and beyond. Richard in folklore as well as documented history, the uke's birth took place on August 23, 1879, when a ship arrive din Hawaii carrying 419 Portuguese settlers. Hawaiian music would never be the same again! --Midwest Book Review
The Ukulele is an entertaining look at this whimsical, diminutive instrument and its influence on popular music and pop culture worldwide. Elaborately illustrated, the color-rich book brings to life the "jumping flea" in a unique showcase of rare ukuleles, famous players and manufacturers, and witty memorabilia and artwork. With a fun-to-read historical narrative, The Ukulele traces the instrument's evolution from its 1800s roots to the current ukulele festival in hawaii and beyond. Richard in folklore as well as documented history, the uke's birth took place on August 23, 1879, when a ship arrive din Hawaii carrying 419 Portuguese settlers. Hawaiian music would never be the same again! --Midwest Book Review
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Now in a revised and expanded edition, The Ukulele: A Visual History by Jim Beloff is the fascinating and informative saga of this widespread and popular musical instrument. From the history and spread of the Ukulele since its origin in Portugal, to the great ukulele players, to the sagas of businesses that manufacture ukuleles, to the ukulele's impact on musical culture worldwide, and more, The Ukulele is simply packed from cover to cover with full color photographs. The Ukulele: A Visual History is a most enjoyable learning experience for anyone curious about this unique and popular instrument.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book and it fills a void with information about the 'ukulele that is not available elsewhere. The pictures are excellent and the writing is quite enjoyable. It's the sort of book that you're likely to read more than once. The only drawback is that I wish the book were bigger so that it would have lasted longer. On the less-than-positive side I was a bit disappointed that it didn't deal more deeply with the contemporary 'uke scene and glosses over some of the major players of today. Perhaps in the next new edition it will contain more of this type of info.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
great book, full of colour photos, covers from the most basic to the most up-market instruments. Excellent history of the instrument and also of the well known players, such as George Formby. Discusses some of the speciallised techniques used by these people. I look on it as the ukulele enthusiast's bible. Thoroughly recommended!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
I love this book! BUT...
I really like this book; it is truly the only book of its kind. I am always picking mine up. So, now you're wondering if I like it so much why only three stars? Read more
Published on December 21, 2008 by D. Silvia
The Ukulele Conspiracy
Jim Beloff's "The Ukulele: A Visual History" is the perfect coffee table companion to "Rock That Uke", the wonderfully-funky video about the ukulele subculture. Read more
Published on December 2, 2008 by K. Beach
Nothing Like It
Very simply a MUST HAVE for any ukulele aficionado. I bought five of them and gave them to friends. Every page is a delight. As a builder, it is a Wealth of information.
Published on November 2, 2008 by Timothy S. Shropshire
A fun little book!
If you've ever thought about owning a uke you should pick this book up and learn a little bit of the history behind it. Well worth it for the pictures if nothing else. Read more
Published on February 10, 2007 by James D. Crabtree
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
The ukulele is actually the descendant of a four-stringed musical instrument known as the machete or, less accurately, the braguinha from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Tiny Tim, Arthur Godfrey, Herb Ohta, Tin Pan Alley, Augusto Dias, Los Angeles, Ukulele Festival, May Singhi Breen, Ukulele Ike, Bing Crosby, Langley Ukulele Ensemble, George Formby, United States, University of Hawaii, World War, Kamaka Hawaii, King Kalakaua, Major Kealakai, Panama Pacific International Exposition, Warner Bros New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The ukulele is actually the descendant of a four-stringed musical instrument known as the machete or, less accurately, the braguinha from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Tiny Tim, Arthur Godfrey, Herb Ohta, Tin Pan Alley, Augusto Dias, Los Angeles, Ukulele Festival, May Singhi Breen, Ukulele Ike, Bing Crosby, Langley Ukulele Ensemble, George Formby, United States, University of Hawaii, World War, Kamaka Hawaii, King Kalakaua, Major Kealakai, Panama Pacific International Exposition, Warner Bros New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 8
books:
See all 8 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- British Columbia (Discover Canada) by Isabel Nanton on page 112
- Old and New (Read All about It) by Steck-Vaughn Company on page 21
- Some Like It Hot by Dan Auiler on page 37
- Fascinating Rhythm (Percussion Performance) by Gershwin on page 58
- The Black Bear (Wildlife, Habits & Habitat) by Mark Ahlstrom on page 115
See all 8 books this book cites
- This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century by David Bowman in Back Matter
- Honor Killing: How the Infamous "Massie Affair" Transformed Hawai'i by David E. Stannard in Back Matter
- Easy Ukulele Method Book I by Mary Dempler in Front Matter
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
