This unique discography of 78 RPM recordings extensively profiles solo and group horn performers, including chamber ensemble and orchestra recordings. This work provides, in addition to detailed data about individual recordings, invaluable commentary on actual selected 78 RPM recordings. Some of the recordings are no longer available in reissue and are therefore not easily accessible to the general public. Biographical information contributes to the wealth of researched information this discography provides. This discography of 78 RPM horn recordings fills a gap in bibliographic literature concerning horn recordings. A valuable reference to hornists, musicians, and discographers, the exhaustive, descriptive detail consists of data collected from numerous sources. Both well-known and obscure artists are researched.

New York Times critic Harold Schonberg once commented that solo concerti for the English horn are as rare as fish with fur. Indeed, the common impression is that works composed specifically for the instrument are few and far between . However, William McMullen's thematic catalogue admirably refutes this notion, with 200 works that are originally written for a soloistic English horn; works that allow the player an opportunity to illustrate the instrument's unique expressive qualities in a solo setting. Each entry in the catalogue is divided into two main parts - one dealing with information about the composer, and the other supplying details about the work (instrumentation; date and place of composition/publication; numbers, titles and timings of movements; first performance dates; comments from the composer; and a description of any unusual technical demands upon the soloist). Thematic incipits are also included.