C. F. Martin & His Guitars, 1796-1873

Much of what you read about early Martin designs and guitars on the web is suspect and indeed problematic for reasons you'll understand best after you've read this thoroughly researched and well-written book. Please, though, take note of the cut-off date (1873)--one doesn't learn much about the development of the dreadnought in the 1910s except a bit at the very end, looking forward.

I have no use for Martin guitars. I make my own. But the time the original C.F. Martin lived in was pretty interesting, he set the example for all flat top guitar things to come after him, and his journey was fascinating. The chore of reading all the Martin records of this time period must have been arduous, but I'm glad Gura undertook the project. It was a good read and I should have given it another star but I'm feeling like a fuss-budget today. I'll read it again---perhaps more than once---but not for awhile. If you are a Martinophile who indulges in history, you pretty much have to read this book. You'll love your Martin guitars even more.

If you want an interesting and well-written description of commerce and industry (with quite a lot about music culture) in the 19th century, buy this book. If you want a detailed description of the development of the Martin guitar in the 19th century, get the Shaw and Szego book, "Inventing the American Guitar: The Pre-Civil War Innovations of C.F. Martin and His Contemporaries". Since I'm a lot more interested in guitars than accountancy, the Shaw and Szego book was much more interesting to me. The Gura book is good, but it doesn't have a lot to do with guitars (pretty pictures, though).

Love the books about the history of Martin.

This is an excellent, deeply-researched biography of C.F. Martin and as his company's history is so deeply intertwined with his it makes a great companion to "Martin Guitars - A History". A fascinating read.