In 100 Books Every Folk Music Fan Should Own, performer and historian
Dick Weissman offers a reliable route through the growing sea of
book-length studies, establishing for future scholars a foundation for
their research. Beginning with early twentieth-century collections of
folk songs, the author brings readers to the present by exploring modern
studies of important events, critical collections of primary sources,
the most significant musical instruction guides, and in-depth portraits
of traditional and contemporary American folk musicians. For each title
selected, Weissman provides his own brief summary of its contents and
assessment of its significance for the reader--whether fan or scholar.