The Victrola Book of the Opera: Stories of One Hundred and Twenty Operas With Seven-hundred Illustrations and Descriptions of Twelve-hundred Victor Opera Records

by Samuel Holland Rous

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Music

568 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1917

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's quite hard to put into words how beautiful the 1917 Victor Talking Machine Co. opera guide and record catalog is. It may very well be the most beautiful book I own. I saw it at a flea market last year super cheap and had to have it. The cover photo you see here was scarfed from a bookseller's website, and it gives you some idea, but mine looks even better, with rich green cloth and golden lettering perfectly preserved and as fresh as they must have looked in 1917. This is due to the former owner having the foresight to wrap the book in a heavy brown paper homemade dustjacket. I removed the jacket once just to get a gander at this beauty's cover. The paper is thick, glossy coated and white. Inside is a whole wonderful bygone world; it is heavily illustrated with photos and illustrations of productions and opera stars along with act-by-act plot descriptions that are pithy and complete, selected passages of reproduced lyrics and arias, and rundowns of existing Victor recordings of relevant opera passages. I really ought to take some pictures of the insides and post some on my blog. It's really kind of a thrill paging through this thing. It is truly awesome.

[Catherine Ohrin-Greipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most beautiful book with leather cover, gold embossing and gilded pages. I found this one in wonderful condition for a 104 year old book. It is beautifully illustrated with photos, as well as, concise information about each opera. The composer, the story in various acts is outlined, photos of the opera singers, as well as, various opera houses. Over 120 operas are covered and a lovely embossed cover and gilded page edges makes it a most worthwhile collectible. This is for the serious opera buff as well as those opera students who want to get a clear window into each opera's story, meaning and characters. I found mine on eBay. There are other editions, but this is my favorite.

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Just brilliant!