I almost didn't answer to this because I expect several to, but in case
they don't:
Q. David Bowers book, "A Guidebook of Automatic Musical Instruments" is
a collector's item. It is the initial edition of what became the
Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments. It is in two volumes,
hard-bound, and is especially interesting because it includes estimated
prices. Those prices reflected the machines' rarity when the book came
out, but for the most part they're laughably low by today's standards.
Your odds of finding this book are exceedingly slim. Stick with
Bowers' Encyclopedia, which I believe is now back in print. This and
Harvey Roehl's "Player Piano Treasury" are probably the 2 best books to
own on AMI. Make sure you have both! You'll never outgrow them...
Cheers,¶
Rob DeLand
(deland_robert@macmail1.csg.mot.com)
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