Guitar - by David Schiller (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Schiller delivers a delightful photographic survey of 200 famous and innovative guitars. This volume would make an excellent conversation piece on any guitar enthusiast's coffee table." -- Publisher's Weekly

A celebration of the world's most seductive instrument, with large full-color photographs plus lore, players, makers, legends. Inspiring to look through, and--with a slipcase--beautiful to hold.

Book Synopsis

Celebrate the significance, the magic, and the mojo of the world's most seductive instrument.

An obsessive, full-color book presented in an irresistible slipcase, Guitar features 200 instruments in stunning detail. Here are icons, like Prince's Yellow Cloud, Willie Nelson's "Trigger," Muddy Water's Thunderbird, and "Rocky," lovingly hand-painted by its owner, George Harrison. Historic instruments--Fender's Broadcaster, Les Paul's "Log," the Gibson Nick Lucas Special, the very first artist model. Hand-carved archtops, pinnacles of the luthier's art, from John D'Angelico to Ken Parker. Stunning acoustics from a new wave of women builders, like Rosie Heydenrych of England, who's known to use 5,000-year-old wood retrieved from a peat bog. And quirky one-of-a-kind guitars, like Linda Manzer's Pikasso II--four necks, 42 strings, and a thousand pounds of pressure.

Marrying pure visual pleasure with layers of information, Guitar is a glorious gift for every guitar-lover

Review Quotes

"The word for Guitar: The World's Most Seductive Instrumentby David Schiller, is gorgeous. With a slipcase that simulates the feel of a guitar case, an embossed cover of a vintage D'Angelico, and photographs of more than 200 instruments, this is a perfect book for any guitar player, collector or enthusiast. Leafing through this book, lingering over image after beautiful image, is enough to make even non-guitar players want to reach for a Martin or a Telecaster." -- Wall Street Journal

" Each of the 200-plus pages of this coffee-table book (housed in a faux-leather "case") celebrates a famous instrument -- think Willie Nelson's Trigger, Prince's Yellow Cloud, and George Harrison's Rocky. Perfect for the musical obsessive who may or may not have named their own guitar." -- New York Post

"With its combination of captivating visuals and engaging information, this book is designed to grab anyone's attention." -- Music Connection Magazine

"Schiller delivers a delightful photographic survey of 200 famous and innovative guitars. This volume would make an excellent conversation piece on any guitar enthusiast's coffee table." -- Publisher's Weekly

In June, a guitar owned by Pink Floyd's David Gilmour set a worldwide auction record, selling for almost $4 million. Readers not ready to collect at that level can satisfy themselves with this compilation of 200 beautiful and noteworthy instruments from Schiller (The Little Zen Companion; "Guitars" wall calendar). Graphically pleasing designs and standout photos flanked by details of model, ownership, and provenance place each guitar in context. Historical notes and occasional musician bios add interest. VERDICT Will likely find an audience, whether readers know their single coil from their humbucker pickup or just want a peek at Willie Nelson's Trigger or one of Prince's Clouds. -- Library Journal

"It's fun, it's cute, and it includes the usual suspects in big, pretty images ideal for spare-time perusal." - Vintage Guitar