The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari
&#8220;An impassioned account...shows what magic is secretly being practiced behind many nondescript doors.&#8221; (New York Times)&#8220;Marchese is engaging and funny and he uses his substantial skill to tell a story worthy of his subjects.&#8221; (Newsweek)&#8220;A deeply descriptiveand appreciative look at a slow, exacting craft. Marchese is a skilled writer.&#8221; (USA Today)&#8220;Strikes a high note, with rich overtones on the themes of art, creation, and the power of music. (Entertainment Weekly)&#8220;A beguiling journalistic meditation on the links&#151;and tensions&#151;between art, craft and connoisseurship.&#8221; (Publishers Weekly)&#8220;You don&#8217;t have to be a fiddler to enjoy this small gem of a book. A fine, informative read.&#8221; (Santa Fe New Mexican)&#8220;Well researched...an appreciation for the ability and dedication of a man working with his hands.&#8221; (Hartford Courant)&#8220;An edifying adventure from hewn log to work of art. On pitch reporting documents an inspiring craft.&#8221; (Kirkus Reviews)&#8220;Honest, witty and dramatic. A thoroughly gripping read.&#8221; (The Strad)&#8220;Informative. Insights (into) why classical music&#8217;s most analyzed instrument retains so many mysteries. (San Diego Union-Tribune)&#8220;Entertaining...(Marchese) shows a talent for engaging turns of phrase, and his accessible style and dry humor commingle well.&#8221; (Library Journal)&#8220;Like The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, THE VIOLIN MAKER is easy, entertaining, and uniquely informative reading. (Booklist)&#8220;A magical, profound and elegant look at the continued need for high quality in our throw away society.&#8221; (Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Tulane University and author of THE GREAT DELUGE)&#8220;Engaging&#8230;[In] the tradition of John McPhee and Tracy Kidder, John Marchese wittily deconstructs the capacious lore of violin-making.&#8221; (Ben Yagoda, author of About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made and When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It: The Parts of Speech, for Better and/or Worse)