The present St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's masterpiece, is the fourth religious building to occupy the site. Its location in the heart of the capital reflects its importance in the English church while the photographs of it burning during the Blitz forms one of the most powerful and familiar images of London during recent times. This substantial and richly illustrated study, published to mark the 1,400th anniversary of St Paul's, presents 42 scholarly contributions which approach the cathedral from a range of perspectives. All are supported by photographs, illustrations and plans of the exterior and interior of St Paul's, both past and present. Eight essays discuss the history of St Paul's, demonstrating the role of the cathedral in the formation of England's church and state from the 7th century onwards; nine essays examine the organisation and function of the cathedral during the Middle Ages, looking at, for example, the arrangement of the precinct, the tombs, the Dean's household during the 15th century, the liturgy and the archaeology. The remaining papers examine many aspects of Wren's cathedral, including its construction, fittings and embellishments, its estates and income, music and rituals, its place in London, its library, its role in the book trade and its reputation.

In Strong on Music Vera Brodsky Lawrence uses the diaries of lawyer and music lover George Templeton Strong as a jumping-off point from which to explore every aspect of New York City's musical life in the mid-nineteenth century. Formerly a concert pianist, Vera Brodsky Lawrence spent the last third of her life as a historian of American music (she died in 1996). She was editor of The Piano Works of Louis Moreau Gottschalk and The Complete Works of Scott Joplin. On Volume 1: "A marvelous book. There is nothing like it in the literature of American music."—Harold C. Schonberg, New York Times Book Review On Volume 2: "A monumental achievement."—Victor Fell Yellin, Opera Quarterly

This is the first comprehensive study of William Byrds life (1540-1623) and works to appear for sixty years, and fully takes into consideration recent scholarship. The biographical section includes many newly discovered facts about Byrd and his family, while in the chapters dealing with his music an attempt is made for the first time to outline the chronology of all his compositions. The book begins with a detailed account of Byrd's life, based on a completely fresh examination of original documents, which are quoted extensively. Several previously known documents have now been identified as being in Byrds hand, and some fresh holographs have been discovered. A number of questions such as his parentage and date of birth have been conclusively settled. The book continues with a survey of Byrds music which pays particular attention to its chronological development, and links it where possible to the events and background of his life. A series of appendices includes additional texts of important documents, and a summary catalogue of works. A bibliography and index complete the book. Besides musical illustrations there is a series of plates illustrating documents and places associated with Byrd.