Revising her classic 1989 book "Harps and Harpists," Roslyn Rensch expands her authoritave history of this timeless instrument. This book is a veritable encyclopedia of six thousand years of lavishly illustrated harp history. Written by a musician who is also an art historian, this book surveys the progress of the harp from antiquity to the present day, from the simple bowlike early harp to the gleaming modern pedal harp. This new edition (1997), with 137 black-and-white images and 24 color plates, includes two new chapters; an extensive bibliography and index; personal anecodotes of the author's study under Alberto Salvi; an appendix on the Roslyn Rensch Papers and Harp Collection, which are housed at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign; and an hour-long CD of harp music.

This is THE harp history book. 364 pages, hardback, with 137 black and white photos, and 24 color photos.