of Teck, Queen Alexandra of Denmark, the Prince of Wales , various other royals, nobles, and members of high society, and the Highland Society of London. The book received good reviews from Grant's contemporaries. Modern reviews, however, tend to be mixed. In his "Introduction" to the 1974 reprint of The Pipes of War, referencing POC, Major General Frank Richardson wrote: This book cannot in all honesty be recommended today. Some useful information for those who want to know about our instrument, its music and some Highland traditions and legends can be found there, but its good points are embedded in much indigestible matter, like currants in what our generation of Servicemen called a 'Nafty cake.''' On the other hand, Pipe-Major Roger Huth (The Surrey Pipe Band), Vice President of the Scottish Piping Society of London, former member of the Scots Guards, and an esteemed piper, had much to praise about the book in a 2006 review:It is soon apparent when reading through the pages of his book, that John Grant was also a man of considerable intellect. His knowledge appears to be no shallow pool as he explains to his reader the poetry of Piobaireachd as well as how the MacCrimmon Clan and others through the years constructed their compositions. He also explains the theory of music as it appertains to the Scottish Bagpipe and I strongly suspect that those who created their own Bagpipe Schools during the 20th Century, including the Army at Edinburgh Castle, leant on this book heavily.'' Despite Grant's tendency to be overly Romantic in his prose, the book remains a classic. The first of its kind, it still remains the largest compendium of articles on topics relating to the "National" music of Scotland in bagpipe literature. References External links Piobaireachd: Its Origin and Construction Great Highland bagpipe players People from Moray 1876 births 1961 deaths Scottish composers Scottish writers about music Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland