Rating: 
Summary: Great help when buying classical CDs!!!
Review: This is, without any doubts the most comprehensive classical CD guide you can buy!Although I also like, and would recommend, the Gramophone guides, the amount of information contained in the Penguin guide is simply amazing! While the Gramophone guide lists several composers with ample and informative reviews on two or three of the recordings that they consider to be the best choices of a certain work the Penguin guide includes many more recommendations of each work although with much shorter reviews. The amount of composers and works listed and reviewed in this guide is incredible! I bought this guide almost a year ago (from Amazon.com) and every single CD that I've bought this year, following this guide's recommendations, has proven to be the right choice! You just can't go wrong with the wealth and quality of information that you'll find within this guide's pages! This is an absolute must for any classical music lover!
Rating: 
Summary: Penguin recommendations vs actual CD availability
Review: Vastly erudite & discerning reviews. Main fault: where can one find ANY of the CDs listed? Classical music marketing in the US is a shambles. Since most - or many - of the reviews are European biased, this means that the problem of availability for US buyers is worsened: just try to find anything reviewed at your local - or mail-order - store. That said, the Guide is valuable for the mere knowledge of who recorded what, and for the entertainment value of the witty writing.
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this if...
Review: you are looking for reviews of the latest releases (that is - released in this century). THIS IS NOT THE LATEST EDITION - there is a newer 2003/4 guide.
This one does list many cds left out of the new guide (I hear - my new one is on order). So it still might be worth having.
Just don't get fooled, like I was by the synopsis above. THERE ARE NO SACDs or DVD-As listed, Very few cds from this century.
BUYER BEWARE
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