Thanks for the mention of "The Violin-Playing Machines" book.  This
was a perfect book from a sales viewpoint -- with help from patrons
and with a carefully-orchestrated sales effort by Terry Smythe and
other AMICAns, including a pre-publication offer, all copies were
gone within a few months!  Probably, AMICA could print another, say,
500 copies, if the demand were there.

The recent "Encyclopedia of Disc Music Boxes," still available from
AMICA, was similarly well-organized by Terry Smythe and AMICAns.
All costs have been recovered and AMICA is registering a profit.

In the past some books on automatic musical instruments have been
issued by others (not by the Vestal Press, however), with little
marketing strategy or research, with the result that unsold copies
piled up and the projects lost thousands of dollars.

The point of this is that it would be nice to have more books in
this category, and with careful planning this can be done profitably
-- as AMICA has done and the late lamented Vestal Press always did
(except for a single reprint publication on the Wurlitzer Harp; I
worked carefully with Harvey and Marion on some of their marketing).

Best wishes to one and all,
Dave Bowers