Since its first publication in 1945, the Bach Reader has become essential as a reference tool for both scholars and music lovers. Primarily it was visualised as a collection of important early material; thus, Bach's own words, the testimonies of his contemporaries and the judgements of the generations immediately following his own reveal the composer, the musician and the man. A revision in 1966 corrected many errors and included material that had come to light since 1945, and, despite the more methodical approach of the Bach Dokumente (1963-74), the use of English in The Bach Reader made it attractive to English-speaking scholars and Bach enthusiasts.

If anything, Bach scholarship has become very active since the last revision and the requirement for a new edition brought about this latest imprint. Thus, The New Bach Reader incorporates many recent discoveries, making the information more extensive. Now thicker by some 80 pages, it includes 118 new items, especially those discovered after the publication of its German counterpart.

Unlike Bach Dokumente, The New Bach Reader does not attempt to include everything, but restricts its inventory to 412 items (in comparison with the 1863 listed in the three-volume Bach Dokumente). Although in comparison this might appear somewhat limited, it is important to remember that, in the general scheme of things, not all items pertaining to Bach are of either use, or interest, and that the significantly smaller proportion of entries in The New Bach Reader does not in any way detract from its function as a reference tool. Indeed, the detailed commentary that accompanies items (prepared by Bach scholar Christoph Wolff) is an important and welcome feature. The volume contains all appropriate references to sources of origin, mainly from Bach Dokumente, thus providing adequate reference-points to other source material. Illustrations and facsimiles are of high quality and are chosen for their particular relevance.

A number of excellent biographies and monographs on Bach's music are available at the moment (for example, Wolff's JS Bach: The Learned Musician - reviewed in the September issue of this journal), and, as supplementary material, The New Bach Reader has a significant, if not important, role to play. On another level, it can also be used as a stand-alone biography since its ease of use and well-organised conspectus is suited perfectly to the more enquiring reader.

John Woodford