The Cambridge Companion to Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (Cambridge Companions to Music) Illustrated Edition

The collection of essays by noted scholars is a valuable addition to any Wagnerian's shelf. Topics are wide-ranging, and only a few can be called eccentric (the attack on poor Knappertsbusch is the most aggredious). The buyer is warned that the extra $60 for the hard-bound edition is money wasted, as it is merely the paperbound edition with cardboard covers, hardly up to CUP's standards.

While some of the essays are very well-researched, others don't seem to be. And some of the authors seem to be incapable of disinterested scholarship - having to read through their overt enthusiasm for Wagner and his work isn't easy or fun. Also, 15 of the 16 authors are male. I expected this companion to be more objective (even critical) than I found it to be.