The Classical Guitar: A Complete History

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photos and layout, a wonderful collection
Review: Any lover of the classical guitar cannot help but appreciate this gorgeous collection of instruments, as well as the way in which they are displayed on the pages. Filled with information about the guitars and their construction, the luthiers, and which players'CDs you can hear them on, I highly recommend this fine edition. I take issue only with the subtitle "A Complete History", as the guitars are based on a single collection of instruments, owned by Russell Cleveland, and not necessarily what any other person would consider "Complete". That fact does not diminish my enjoyment of this exquisite book one bit.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Book
Review: If you are a lover of guitars, specifically classical guitars, you owe it to yourself to purchase this book. There is nothing else like it. Great photography, details on some of the best guitars from some of the best makers...Romanillos, Smallman, Bernabe...They are all here. Inclusively, the book covers players (Williams, Bream, Segovia) as well as an in depth look at wood and the guitar market today. Great stuff and at ..., an incredible bargain.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and intelligent account of the classical guitar
Review: The Classical Guitar: A Complete History is a comprehensive account of the instrument's history, based around a magnificent collection owned by the American enthusiast Russell Cleveland and illustrated with new photography, fascinating archive material and commissioned artwork. Our aim has been to tell the story of the classical instrument and its makers, from its simple beginnings to the hi-tech experimentation of recent times. But the book also includes accounts of the guitar's repertoire, its principal players and their recorded legacy. It has been written by many of the world's leading authors on the instrument and is beautifully produced in a limited edition.

Rating:
Summary: One of the two wonderful classical guitar collections
Review: This book is one of the 2 most desirable and collectible books on classical guitars (the other one is: Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars from Torres to the Present by Urlik, Sheldon). The figures are superb and the text informative. The hard cover edition is better in the following senses:

1. The hard cover edition is a limited edition (6000 copies only).
2. It is like a textbook which can be opened fully on its back. Easy for reading and scanning.
3. It's got a hard protective slipcase

However, getting the softcover edition might be your choice for its price and availability.

Rating:
Summary: A great book with superb pictures.
Review: This is an amazing book. It has a lot of information of todays luthiers and past luthiers. The photographs are beautiful and I would recomend this book to anyone who loves the classical guitar. It is however on the expensive side.