Antonio Stradivari

This Victorian-era portrait captures the man who made the most coveted instruments in history. Written in the late 19th century when Stradivari's legacy was still being measured against three centuries of musical evolution, Petherick traces the remarkable arc of a Cremonese craftsman who began as an apprentice to Nicolas Amati and transformed into the artisan whose violins now sell for tens of millions. The book illuminates the slow, deliberate perfectionism that characterized Stradivari's career, his early works marked not by instant genius but by patient refinement, a steady pursuit of form and voice that would eventually yield instruments of unparalleled beauty. Petherick captures what makes this story endure: the tension between craft and art, between following a master's template and forging something entirely new. For readers who appreciate the romance of craftsmanship, the history of music, or the mystery of how one man came to dominate an entire art form, this book offers intimate access to the making of a legend.