All of the Dummies books are excellent and this is no exception. I love how it delves into depth, while also relating anecdotes and cartoons to hold the reader's attention. The CD is also excellent. ( )

I absolutely love this book. I've always been vaguely interested in classical music, and sometimes it's the only sort of music I can bear to listen to, but I was never really exposed to anything other than light pop and country music when I was growing up, and school music lessons failed to make much of an impression on me.

I can understand that the rather jokey, light-hearted tone of this book might put some people off. Personally I thought it was perfect - it makes learning so much easier when the material is presented in this sort of user-friendly way - but what is remarkable is that, even though the writers clearly understand music (Pogue and Speck have both worked as conductors), I never felt at all patronised. In fact they go out of their way to criticise the more snobby elements in the classical music world and clearly all they want is for people to enjoy and appreciate the music.

The book begins with a quick whizz through the history of classical music, giving brief biographies of major composers and recommended listening (useful for someone like me who would like to build a classical CD library but has no clue where to begin!), within an historical framework.

The book then goes on to explain some of the basics about music forms, so that I now understand exactly what a symphony is, what a sonata is, and why these structures are used. Basic stuff, perhaps, but an eye-opener for me, and again all explained in a simple (but not simplistic) way. The next chapter was of slightly less interest to me - a concert survival guide. I'm far more likely to listen to CDs or perhaps watch music performed on TV, but the descriptions of typical concert programmes was actually very interesting, even if I never attend a single concert!

A CD featuring nine pieces of music comes with the book. I listened to the CD twice through without referring to the detailed descriptions of the music, but listening to the music with the notes to hand was, again, a thoroughly worthwhile experience and enhanced my appreciation of how a piece of music is put together.

The authors guide the reader through every element of the orchestra (keyboards, strings, woodwinds, etc) with suggestions for music to listen to that best showcases each element. I skipped the music theory chapter, brief and basic though it is. At the back of the book is a further list of suggested CDs with which to begin to build a music collection.

Overall, this is the perfect book for someone with an interest in classical music but no idea where to start. The information in it is basic, but for me that was just what I needed. I certainly feel a lot more confident about exploring further now that I've dipped my toe and found that the water feels pretty good! [September 2006] ( )