-- forwarded message, please reply to sender and MMD --

Dear Mr. Kravitz,  Having only recently come 'on line' and sampled a
little of MMD, I should like to introduce myself to you and also
explain some points which need urgently clarifying about 'The
Fairground Organ' book.

I am a Trustee and also Sales Officer of the St. Albans Musical Museum
Society, a Charitable Trust which administers the St. Albans Organ
Museum in Hertfordshire, England.  This Museum houses the collection of
mechanical musical instruments owned by the late Mr. Charles Hart who
set up the Trust in 1978, before his death in 1983.

I have held this Office since the Trust was formed in 1978 and one of
the trustees then (out of four in all) was Mr. Eric V. Cockayne who, as
you obviously know, wrote the book 'The Fairground Organ - It's Music,
Mechanism and History' in 1970.  Eric was a great personal friend and
he also held office as our first Secretary and did a great deal of work
to establish the Trust.  Since then the Management Committee has
voluntarily looked after the Museum and its contents.

Since its publication and the feedback it generated, Eric was well
aware that his book needed revision but unfortunately his ill health
and his death in 1990 prevented it.  It was Eric's wish that St. Albans
Musical Museum Society (SAMMS) revise and re-publish the book in due
course.  Mr. Peter Craig was appointed by the Committee to undertake the
revision, which took several years to complete, then I retyped the text
and was given the job of trying to get the book published.

The Management Committee of SAMMS then considered ways of advertising
the book and also financing it, and one of our Committee members,
Mr. Ken Slow, spoke of MMD and offered to approach you.  You were
kind enough to post this on MMD for us, for which we are very grateful
[990711 MMDigest].  The initial response was disappointing, but in
recent weeks we've had a lot of enquiries.

After the initial MMD advert Ken Slow moved office so his email address
ceased and therefore anyone trying to contact him about The Fairground
Organ book would have been unsuccessful.  (This was unfortunate and
I apologise to anyone who tried to make contact with him or SAMMS.)

However, since I now have my own email address I should be pleased
to answer any questions about St. Albans Organ Museum or 'The Book'.
Alternatively, mail (the old-fashioned paper variety) may be sent
to me at P.O. Box 59, St.Albans, Herts, AL2 2AZ. England.

Please, please, don't contact Peter Craig about the book.  He really
has done more than his share in bringing it to reality; it is now SAMMS
job to continue this task.

May I ask you to consider posting this information on MMD so that
everyone gets the true picture.

Thank you very much.

Keith Pinner <keith.pinner@fsbdial.co.uk>