Review:
I`a straightforward, unfussy dictionary format, with clear cross-references...for quick reference The Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments is little short of ideal. And in addition to its value as a working tool, dipping into the book offers a great deal of entertainment and no little elucidation. BBC Music Magazine

'ravishingly authoritative' Paul Driver, Financial Times

`A large and comphensive dictionary ... gives the reader accurate information on all the usual musical instruments and most of the unusual ones, however bizarre. This is a reference book of immense importance and interest. D.R.C., The Organ Winter 1992 Vol 72, 283

'This new book is an essential reference work for all school and college libraries where the study and practice of music is taken seriously. All its contents have been displayed with the utmost clarity with the text of the volume in double columns. The volume should provide a valuable Companion for many years to come, and will open up the subject for many new readers in a very handy and compelling way.' The Consort, Odemetsd Foundation

'This encyclopedic work provides rich detail about the standard orchestral instruments, describes hundreds of obscure instruments from both hemispheres, and explains such terms as "cross-fingering" and "overblowing". Symphony, March/April 1993

'Anyone sufficiently interested in musical instruments to be reading GSJ will find the Companion a friend for life, and should rush out and buy a copy instead of reading reviews.' Raymond Parks, Galpin Society Journal, XLVII