By James Barron

An enthralling exploration of the people and the legendary craftsmanship behind a single Steinway piano.

New York Times staff reporter James Barron tells the story of one Steinway & Sons piano’s creation from raw lumber to finished instrument—-an 11-month journey through the Steinway factory where tradespeople carry on traditions begun more than 150 years ago by the immigrant family who founded Steinway & Sons. Each piano, handmade in Steinway’s “anti-manufacturing” process, is proof that time-honored techniques continue to create the gold standard of musical instruments in today’s automated world. (Hardcover, Times Books, 2006.)