The Martin Book

Rating:
Summary: It was GREAT
Review: I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I RECENTLY PURCHASED A VERY OLD MARTIN UEKELALY FROM A THRIFT STORE. I ESTIMATE IT'S AGE TO BE APPR. 70-80 YEARS OLD AND IT'S IN MINT CONDITION. I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SELL IT TO A COLLECTOR OF FINE INSTUMENTS. IF YOU COULD HELP ME IN ANY WAY I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. KIM A. RIVET 25587 WALKER ST. SANBERNARDINO CA. 92404 PLEASE REPLY, THANKS AGAIN

Rating:
Summary: A short history of Martin guitars.
Review: This book is an excellent story of the Martin family and how they came to be guitar manufacturers for the past 133 years. It gives you a brief history of the family and the many guitar styles that have been produced through the years. The book also touches briefly on the history of guitar playing in the United States and how the Martin family rose to meet the challenges of the era of the banjo and the mandolin. The book also contains many fine photographs illustrating the Martin line from the beginning until the mid 1990's (when the book was written).

The second half of the book is a reference section that lists each Martin guitar style and gives information on how to date particular instruments. This is valuable, especially for collectors since on the early instruments only the cases were labeled and not the guitars themselves.

All in all I found the book interesting. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is since the book was published in 1995 Martin has come out with many special run guitars. Unfortunately they're not covered in this book. If you have even a passing interest in Martin guitars you'll find this book interesting.