Reviews
"This delightful book is a story about the life and times of . . . a little Broadwood square piano made in 1807 . . . Goold succeeds admirably, and the thoroughness of her research is particularly impressive . . . fascinating and informative." -Early Music America, "Goold's writing shows the mark of a true storyteller . . . she shows the rise of the square [piano] as a bridge to many things: from the harpsichord to the modern piano, from the elite aristocratic society to the "middling sort," from one-of-a-kind production to a business of mass production . . . can be read as much for social history as for keyboard history." — Harpsichord & Fortepiano Magazine, "A wealth of fascinating stories and characters . . . One of the strengths of Ms. Goold's fine book is showing us how the presence of pianos expanded and deepened the cultural life . . . Ms. Goold has herself produced an enchanting work." — The Wall Street Journal, "It was a serial number inside an antique piano which launched Madeline Goold on the quest to discover its first owner . . . Goold's piano was made by Broadwood, an English piano-maker so confident that it sent one of its grand pianos as a gift to Beethoven. Amazingly, Broadwood still has most of its archive records of sales from the 1770s onwards." -The Guardian, "This delightful book is a story about the life and times of . . . a little Broadwood square piano made in 1807 . . . Goold succeeds admirably, and the thoroughness of her research is particularly impressive . . . fascinating and informative." -- Early Music America, "Elegantly combines nostalgic reminiscences with serious historical research and plenty of in-depth techincal detail . . . Beautifully presented and often rather moving, this is an unusual and charming book." -Classic FM Magazine, "A journey that will fascinate the reader . . . a riveting glimpse into a musical and social world, all thanks to Broadwood square piano #10651." — The Historical Novels Review, "A journey that will fascinate the reader . . . a riveting glimpse into a musical and social world, all thanks to Broadwood square piano #10651." -- The Historical Novels Review, "This is a truly remarkable and delightful book . . . We are given a wide-ranging and extremely detailed overview of the birth, mechanics and development of the square piano . . . And at the same time we meet the host of people who were involved in its production and burgeoning popularity." — The Jane Austen Society Newsletter, "Goold's writing shows the mark of a true storyteller . . . she shows the rise of the square [piano] as a bridge to many things: from the harpsichord to the modern piano, from the elite aristocratic society to the "middling sort", from one-of-a-kind production to a business of mass production . . . can be read as much for social history as for keyboard history." -Harpsichord & Fortepiano Magazine, "A journey that will fascinate the reader . . . a riveting glimpse into a musical and social world, all thanks to Broadwood square piano #10651." -The Historical Novels Review, "Goold chronicles the transformative history of the model and the instrument, both of which changed culture . . . all across the world this personal but carefully-crafted history reveals how technical innovation can advance the evolution of society." --Publishers Weekly, "A wealth of fascinating stories and characters . . . One of the strengths of Ms. Goold's fine book is showing us how the presence of pianos expanded and deepened the cultural life . . . Ms. Goold has herself produced an enchanting work." -The Wall Street Journal, "Goold's writing shows the mark of a true storyteller . . . she shows the rise of the square [piano] as a bridge to many things: from the harpsichord to the modern piano, from the elite aristocratic society to the "middling sort," from one-of-a-kind production to a business of mass production . . . can be read as much for social history as for keyboard history." -- Harpsichord & Fortepiano Magazine, "It was a serial number inside an antique piano which launched Madeline Goold on the quest to discover its first owner . . . Goold's piano was made by Broadwood, an English piano-maker so confident that it sent one of its grand pianos as a gift to Beethoven. Amazingly, Broadwood still has most of its archive records of sales from the 1770s onwards." -- The Guardian, "Goold chronicles the transformative history of the model and the instrument, both of which changed culture . . . all across the world this personal but carefully-crafted history reveals how technical innovation can advance the evolution of society." -Publishers Weekly, "This is a truly remarkable and delightful book . . . We are given a wide-ranging and extremely detailed overview of the birth, mechanics and development of the square piano . . . And at the same time we meet the host of people who were involved in its production and burgeoning popularity." -The Jane Austen Society Newsletter, "Goold chronicles the transformative history of the model and the instrument, both of which changed culture . . . all across the world this personal but carefully-crafted history reveals how technical innovation can advance the evolution of society." —Publishers Weekly, "This is a truly remarkable and delightful book . . . We are given a wide-ranging and extremely detailed overview of the birth, mechanics and development of the square piano . . . And at the same time we meet the host of people who were involved in its production and burgeoning popularity." -- The Jane Austen Society Newsletter, "It was a serial number inside an antique piano which launched Madeline Goold on the quest to discover its first owner . . . Goold's piano was made by Broadwood, an English piano-maker so confident that it sent one of its grand pianos as a gift to Beethoven. Amazingly, Broadwood still has most of its archive records of sales from the 1770s onwards." — The Guardian, "This delightful book is a story about the life and times of . . . a little Broadwood square piano made in 1807 . . . Goold succeeds admirably, and the thoroughness of her research is particularly impressive . . . fascinating and informative." — Early Music America, "A wealth of fascinating stories and characters . . . One of the strengths of Ms. Goold's fine book is showing us how the presence of pianos expanded and deepened the cultural life . . . Ms. Goold has herself produced an enchanting work." -- The Wall Street Journal
