The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Does anybody know of a good book on Brunswick phonographs similar to the ones about Victor, Columbia, and Edison that give the company's history with respect to the phonograph industry and information about all the various phonograph models they made? I have been looking, but not found any.

Clay

I'm not aware of any Brunswick book, but in mid-November check the upcoming new website of the Antique Phonograph Society...

George P.

Thanks for the tip George.

Clay

If there were a good Brunswick book, it would probably be out of print by now, and at best, available only "for download to your I-pad"...

(Still feeling sour grapes about "Columbia Phonograph Companion, Vol 2"... )

De Soto Frank wrote:If there were a good Brunswick book, it would probably be out of print by now, and at best, available only "for download to your I-pad"...

(Still feeling sour grapes about "Columbia Phonograph Companion, Vol 2"... )

The electronic version might be a good option, all things considered. I bought one of the last available copies from Mulholland Press last year and with shipping it was $205.00! Ouch!

Clay

Trying to push past my bitterness here, Clay, is the book really worth it ? (Especially in terms of photos )


I have "Look for the Dog" and "Edison Cylinder Phonograph Companion", and consider both to be "must haves" for even the moderately advanced enthusiast...


It seems to be the [only] definitive work on Columbia disc machines ...


( I really hate feeling "pushed" into a technology (digital reader) that I feel I've been able to get along with just fine, here-to-fore... )

And, if Mullholland was able to get $200 for a print copy, why wouldn't they consider another print run ?

Well, I can't say why they did not do a second printing. It is one of my often used references. There is a page for each model with a description and a black & white illustration.

You can spot them used on eBay once in awhile and that might be your best bet. It may take some patience, inasmuch as Volume II shows up much less often than volume I.

Clay

I would assume that they won't reprint the Columbia Vol. 2 because when you come to think about it, not many collectors collect Columbia disc machines, so there may not be that many buyers. As far as is it worth it, it is good for learning the history of Columbia phonos and learning about their features. It is illustrated mostly with ads which show drawings or illustrations of the phonographs, not photos. The nice thing about the Ipad version is it adds full-color photos of many of the machines. But I totally understand your not wanting to invest five or six hundred bucks for an Ipad just to get the book. Try looking it up on one the used book websites like ABE or Amazon books. I just looked and they don't have it, but Amazon at least lists it with a picture, description, and a review. PM me for other options for getting the book.