Okay, I'll admit it: I bought it. It is expensive, but then most Mahler books of substance are--largely, I suspect, because of the limited market of readers versus the cost of production. We should note, incidentally, that the publication of this book was supported by the Kaplan Foundation, so it could have been even more expensive!
The book itself is E-Enormous, attractively hard-bound, very heavy, sturdily made, and packed with information. As with any discography, it is automatically limited by its date of publication. But that fact doesn't keep us from buying dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other such compilations. (I notice that Lew Smoley's "Gustav Mahler's Symphonies: Critical Commentary on Recordings Since 1986," published in 1996, still commands a hefty price.)
As for the CD, I have heard it once and have no distinct memory of its quality. It is included as a rarity--the rarest Mahler recording, I believe Peter reports.
Should you buy it? If you are bibliomaniac as well as a Mahler nut, of course you should. Which would you enjoy more: Leafing through nine twenty-dollar bills or leafing through a large (and relatively rare) book of Mahler-related information? It's a reference work to be returned to and consulted from time to time.
But I rather doubt you will receive much encouragement from The Bored. Those members who participate make few entries about their readings. Timings of book-readings are so varied.
. & '
