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Title: Very disappointing
Review: Like several others, I bought this book after reading a laudatory review in the Economist. I was very, very disappointed with the book. As a relatively new piano player, I had hoped to learn two things from the book -- (1) how pianos are tuned and why; and (2) some historical background on the development of the piano. The book delivers on neither. As several commentators have pointed out, the science of piano tuning is completely - and maddeningly -- ignored. To be sure, the author throws some fractions around in the book, but it is just about impossible for anyone but a professional piano tuner to make sense of the details. Finally, as a general introduction to the history of the piano, the work is a bust. Certainly, there are some interesting tidbits, but the organization is so poor, the argument so meandering, that it is hard to keep one's attention focused. I have to wonder: Are those laudatory reviews all from the author's friends?
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