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Hipkins, A. J.
Musical Instruments: Historic, Rare and Unique.
Publisher: A. & C. Black, London;
Date of Publication: 1945
Stock Code: 8952
Royal quarto, pp. xxiii, [1], 123, [1]. With forty-eight coloured plates. Scarlet publishers’ cloth, with gilt titles and ornaments to cover and spine, in a pale turquoise blue publishers’ dust-jacket. Ever so slightly bumped at spine tips and corners otherwise a a clean, bright, tight copy free of annotations or ownership inscriptions. Dust jacket is sunned and slightly soiled with some small closed tears (and two 3cm closed tears) on to the edges and minor loss to spine tips and corners. Overall a very good copy which is scarce to find in a dust-jacket. A lavishly illustrated authoritative guide to unusual historical musical instruments from across the globe. The author, Alfred James Hipkins, was somewhat of a virtuoso who despite little classical training was an accomplished harpsichordist and a respected authority on antiquarian musicology. Much of his work is based on his own extensive collection of antique instruments which is now housed at the Royal College of Music. With exquisite illustrations by watercolourist William Gibb. In the scarce original publishers’ dustjacket. £110.00