Good up to a point.
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Something needs clearing up here. This is the 'Yearbook' to the main guide: 'The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVD's'. Very similar titles likely to cause confusion. The main guide, published in 2003, is a huge tome 1550 pages long giving an impressive overview of some of the classical CD's available in the U.K. This 'Yearbook' covers releases since that main guide was published. Unfortunately, presumably due to publishing deadlines, a lot of CD's I had expected would be covered, aren't. For example, the superb Chailly Mahler Symphony No.3 on Decca, which was officially released in the U.K. on May 10 2004 isn't mentioned! I found many similar omissions. Half this guide is taken up with compilations, vocal recitals, and the like, leaving fewer pages for the main orchestral discs. This is OK but really you must have the main guide before you get this, and I'm not sure how much this adds given what's left out. Still as a collector I found it an essential purchase. The review standard is as high as ever; in fact I think I even detected a bit more criticism compared with the main guide. Are classical CD standards dropping or the reviewers becoming 'tougher'?. So a bit of a disappointment regarding coverage, but still an essential for serious collectors.
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Invaluable to any gramophile
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The authors are all distinguished critics whose views I trust completely. This book is an invaluable source of information to anyone who collects classical CDs. The reviews are necessarily rather short and some important modern composers are omitted but the book could not be much bigger and compromises have to be made. If you have this, the Gramophone Good CD Guide (which is not so comprehensive but more detailed) and a subscription to either Gramophone, International Record Review or the BBC Music Magazine, then you will have everything you need to be a discerning buyer.
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Every serious collector's bible
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I have both 'Penguin Guide to Compact Discs' and its main competitor, 'Gramaphone Classical Good CD Guide', so I believe I am in a position to compare them. As far as the breadth of content or number of disks covered, Penguin wins hands down. The reader gets a dazzling array of choices, from which s/he can choose. It's pretty good in covering new disks. Luckily, so far my taste has matched with Ivan March's. This is all very good, but has the obvious downside. The typeface is very small, hard to read. I found the format confusing when I first browsed it, because I was used to the nice, neat format of Gramaphone guide. But hey, do you prefer better content, or better format/typeface?
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The best classical CD guide there is on the market
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I've been buying this book for a number of years now - I have two earlier editions - and I simply wouldn't be without it. I haven't found another guide that can compare. The Penguin reviewers are thorough, discerning and extremely knowledgeable. I rate their judgement very highly and I think I can safely say that I've never been disappointed by a purchase made on the strength of one of their top recommendations.
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A invaluable resource!
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This is an incredible book. I use it every time I want to buy a new recording and have never been disappointed by the outcome. I actually approve of the new 2-column layout, which allows more information than ever to be printed within.
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