Books › Guitar
Guitar
First published 2005 · 352 pages
A sprawling, cross-country love letter to the craftsmanship, history, and enduring mystique of America's favorite instrument.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like taking a long, meandering road trip across America with a deeply curious companion. Prompted by the sudden loss of a beloved instrument, the narrative unfolds as an expansive and inquisitive journey into the heart of musical craftsmanship and cultural history. The mood is steeped in warm Americana, shifting seamlessly from the intimate workshops of luthiers to the grand, rebellious history of the blues, jazz, and rock and roll. The prose blends personal reflection with rich historical anecdotes, creating a conversational and appreciative tone. It will delight music enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone who understands that an instrument is not just wood and wire, but a vessel for freedom, protest, and the human spirit.
- Mood
- nostalgic
- expansive
- Americana-steeped
- Tone
- inquisitive
- reflective
- appreciative
- conversational
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- the pursuit of craftsmanship · American cultural history · the mystique of music · finding meaning in loss · the spirit of rebellion
- The writing
- Engaging and historically rich, blending personal travelogue with deep cultural exploration.
- The arc
- Moves from the frustration of a sudden loss to a sprawling, passionate appreciation for craftsmanship and cultural history.
- Who it's for
- Music lovers, history buffs, and anyone who appreciates the deep cultural roots and craftsmanship behind a beloved instrument.
Content notes
- destruction of personal property
About the book
When baggage handlers destroy Tim Brookes's guitar, he discovers that a dream guitar is built, not bought, and sets out to find someone to make him the perfect guitar. His quest takes him across the country, talking to historians, curators, and guitar makers, and he explores the guitar's mystique: freedom, the open road, protest and rebellion, the blues, youth, lost love, and sexuality. In an extraordinary variety of hands--miners and society ladies, lumberjacks and presidents' wives, Hawaiians, African-Americans, Cajuns, jazz players, spiritualists, singing cowboys of the silver screen, and Beatles fans--it has become America's instrument.--From publisher description.
Description from Open Library.
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