Inventing the American Guitar is the first book to describe the early history of American guitar design in detail. It tells the story of how a European instrument was transformed into one with all of the design and construction features that define the iconic American flat-top guitar. This transformation happened within a mere 20 years, a remarkably brief period. The person who dominates this history is C. F. Martin Sr., America's first major guitar maker and the founder of the Martin Guitar Company, which continues to produce outstanding flat-top guitars today. After emigrating from his native Saxony to New York in 1833, Martin quickly established a guitar making business, producing instruments modeled after those of his mentor, Johann Stauffer of Vienna. By the time he moved his family and business to rural Pennsylvania in 1839, Martin had absorbed and integrated the influence of Spanish guitars he had seen and heard in New York. In Pennsylvania, he evolved further, inventing a uniquely American guitar that was fully developed before the outbreak of the Civil War. Inventing the American Guitar traces Martin's evolution as a craftsman and entrepreneur and explores the influences and experiments that led to his creation of the American guitar that is recognized and played around the world today. To learn more about the history of the Martin guitar, click here to view the video and article from BBC, How Martin Guitars Became an 'American Stratavarius' . Like a well-crafted handmade guitar, Inventing the American Guitar is meticulously researched, fastidiously constructed and majestically presented. It should please anyone with more than a casual interest in acoustic guitars, be that a player, a luthier or collector. --The Oklahoman To start with the conclusion, this is hands-down one of the all-around best books on guitars ever published. From the scope of the coverage to the quality of the text and photos, the elegant design to the overall packaging, it's simply glorious -- an example all other guitar books should aspire to. --Vintage Guitar ''If you're fascinated by the craftsmanship of acoustic guitars, a new coffee table book titled Inventing the American Guitar will keep you company on a long winter's night.'' --CMT Edge ''This book is a great present for the serious guitarist or aficionado, especially one who is a fan of the Martin guitar.'' --Portland Book Review ''Christmas time is coming … and this new book, Inventing The American Guitar, may well be an ideal present for those interested in the history of the American flat-top guitar.'' --Bluegrass Today, November 24 ''Like a well-crafted handmade guitar, this book is meticulously researched, fastidiously constructed and majestically presented. It should please anyone with more than a casual interest in acoustic guitars, be that a player, a luthier or collector.'' --The Oklahoman, December 1st ''A comprehensive look at the history of Martin - and, by extension, of the great American acoustic guitar - with beautiful photographs and illuminating essays … An essential visual and intellectual journey for anyone who loves guitars.'' --Acoustic Guitar, February 2015 ''Like a well-crafted handmade guitar, this book is meticulously researched, fastidiously constructed and majestically presented. It should please anyone with more than a casual interest in acoustic guitars, be that a player, a luthier or collector.'' --The Oklahoman, December 1st Peter Szego (Princeton, NJ) is a connoisseur, collector, and player of 19th-century American banjos and guitars who headed the team that created the book. Contributing essayists included David Gansz , an expert on early American guitar-maker James Ashborn; Antiques Roadshow appraiser and Martin expert Richard Johnston ; luthier and early Martin and Spanish guitar scholar David LaPlant e; Arian Sheets , Curator of Stringed Instruments at the National Music Museum, University of South Dakota; and University of Cambridge Fellow James Westbrook , a scholar of 19th century European guitar making. Used Book in Good Condition