The Official Guide to Steinway Pianos

James Parakilas ends his history of the piano, Piano Roles (Parakilas et al., 2002), by suggesting that there has never been an ideal piano. However, Steinway pianos come pretty close, and so it is a joy to see this official guide to their pianos. Often known by name – not just the formal trade model names but nicknames – Steinway pianos are as distinctive now as ever, above all at concert and high performance levels, in a world where Yamaha and Waldstein and many other makes compete in specialist and general domestic markets. Just as printed books...