Bouverie, Tim

Self-described by the author as a non-definitive work, this book fulfills its stated mission of being a portable collection of reflections on Western classical music, although the entries might be too teasingly brief for some readers. Compare with the 366 entries in Year of Wonder: Classical Music To Enjoy Day by Day, by violinist and former BBC arts presenter Clemency Burton-Hill.

History readers, particularly of the 20th century, will appreciate Bouverie’s relentless pursuit of answers to the question, “Why?”