Masters of Tonewood

Jeffrey Greene is the author of French Spirits: A House, a Village, and a Love Affair with Burgundy and In Pursuit of Wild Edibles: A Forager's Tour (Virginia). A widely published poet, he is the recipient of the Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize and the Randall Jarrell Award in Poetry. He is professor emeritus at the American University of Paris.

[I]f you are an instrument "nerd," who likes to "geek-out" about your instrument, I recommend reading this book because it will help take you to a whole new level. -- "Bluegrass Unlimited" [T]his concise book offers a pleasing deep dive into an intriguing niche topic. A good choice for connoisseurs who appreciate musical instruments the way others do fine wine. -- "Kirkus" It is an odd feeling to read a book and feel like Antonio Salieri in Amadeus: to displace one note would be diminishment. I am a fiddle player, and like many people who fell in love with these magical boxes, I spent some time working in luthier shops. Greene's book offers a very engaging way to enter that world while also providing a unique environmental history on how humans engage with trees. All of this is by way of saying, this wonderful book had me at 'tonewood.' --Philip Levy, four-time Florida State Champion Old Time Fiddler, University of South Florida Jeffrey Greene must be a picker and not just a master luthier because his beautifully told tale Masters Of Tonewood rings both loud and true. --Ketch Secor, founding member, Grammy Award-winning Old Crow Medicine Show Jeffrey Greene takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the forests of Europe and with every page richly uncovers the mysteries held within the tonewood of the finest stringed instruments ever made. --Jeffrey Ziegler, award-winning cellist and member of the Kronos Quartet, The New School