Mr. Langshaw's Square Piano

A wealth of fascinating stories and characters . . . One of the strengths of Ms. Goold's fine book is showing us how the presence of pianos expanded and deepened the cultural life . . . Ms. Goold has herself produced an enchanting work. -- Wall Street Journal An extraordinary book. -- Booklist Elegantly combines nostalgic reminiscences with serious historical research and plenty of in-depth techincal detail . . . Beautifully presented and often rather moving, this is an unusual and charming book. -- Classic FM Magazine (UK) Goold's writing shows the mark of a true storyteller . . . she shows the rise of the square [piano] as a bridge to many things: from the harpsichord to the modern piano, from the elite aristocratic society to the middling sort, from one-of-a-kind production to a business of mass production . . . can be read as much for social history as for keyboard history. -- Harpsichord & Fortepiano Magazine It was a serial number inside an antique piano which launched Madeline Goold on the quest to discover its first owner . . . Goold's piano was made by Broadwood, an English piano-maker so confident that it sent one of its grand pianos as a gift to Beethoven. Amazingly, Broadwood still has most of its archive records of sales from the 1770s onwards. -- The Guardian (UK) Part detective story . . part social history . . absorbing. -- The Birmingham Post (UK) This delightful book is a story about the life and times of . . . a little Broadwood square piano made in 1807 . . . Goold succeeds admirably, and the thoroughness of her research is particularly impressive . . . fascinating and informative. -- Early Music America Magazine This is a truly remarkable and delightful book . . . We are given a wide-ranging and extremely detailed overview of the birth, mechanics and development of the square piano . . . And at the same time we meet the host of people who were involved in its production and burgeoning popularity. -- The Jane Austen Society Newsletter (UK)