Better recordings and performances have been available in the last 17 years than have been recommended in this book. This book was published in 1994 and the biographical data and recommended recordings are badly out of date. And the recommendations are mainly orchestral music. On the plus side the book is extremely easy to read and use and the significance and background of the composer is laid out in alphabetical order by name. The famous musical pieces are described without jargon or technicality and are clear to the point. The young generation of talent, however, such as Lang Lang, Hilary Hahn and Vasily Petrenko are missing. Great performances and recordings in the last 17 years are also missing.Many books on this subject today are more entertaining in terms of illustrations and text and more informative, such as John Burrow's Complete Book of Classical Music (Dorling Kindersley publication).