Harald Eggebrecht Grosse Geiger (Great Violinists) Piper Verlag, October 2000, 440 pp. ISBN 3-492-04262-3 Every violinist, whether professional or amateur, and indeed many other musicians as well, will find in this book a fascinating quarry of facts, opinions and portraits. It starts with Paganini and goes right down to Sarah Chang, prodigy at nine, cover girl at nineteen, and shows, along with much else, how the business of reputation-making has changed over the past century. In the early part of the period, when soloists built up their following through concert performances alone, their personal charisma was vital. Now, because of the ubiquity and quality of recordings, no slips can be allowed, while hype and marketing have taken over from the direct expression of personality. Another point made, and most interestingly elaborated, is the fact that those early greats of the platform often had direct links with the masters they were interpreting. Joachim knew Brahms (also Mendelssohn and Schumann) and passed on his knowledge of Brahms's concerto, which he played to the composer, to his pupil Huberman. Recordings are discussed comprehensively and in perceptive detail: the author points out that Jascha Heifetz was the first great violinist whose whole career span is covered on record. Prodigies are another theme. Some of them, though brilliant, cracked under the appalling strain, but nowadays, thanks to recordings, we can still hear them from their brief heyday. Great teachers are named, and the orchestras some of them founded, sometimes thanks to the 'diaspora' brought about by Nazi persecution. And technique - bow-hold, vibrato, is there a particular German sound? The author investigates this too. This is a long book. It grew out of a radio series and is backed by stupendous knowledge and dedication. It pronounces astutely on music itself as well as styles of performance, and its accounts of the idiosyncrasies and personalities of a host of performers make captivating reading in themselves. From Stern (an all-rounder) to Kreisler ('one of the kings'), there is something for everyone. Worth a year's subscription to any concert series, and more.