Does anyone have any copies of the above publication?  They are 'major'
works and list every piano manufacturer in business for the year they
were published.  I have five copies for the years: 1922, 1927, 1939,
1940, and 1947.  It gives me a cross section of what happened to the
piano business over that period of years.  If you read closely, you
begin to realize that the different manufacturers wrote their own
entries, or had their advertising department do it.

For instance, when Andy Taylor posted his information about the Foster
piano, I went to the 1922 edition and looked up Foster.  There are two
listings:  Foster-Armstrong Co. and Foster & Co.  Both were divisions
of American Piano Company.  The listing for Foster & Co. is short, and
interesting and is quoted for your edification and enjoyment.

  "Foster & Co., Established 1890.  Division of American Piano Co.,
   to which refer.  Manufacture the well-known Foster pianos and
   player-pianos, thousands of which are to be found in American homes
   to-day giving the utmost satisfaction.  This line of instruments is
   one of the few of American manufacture sold extensively in foreign
   countries.  In addition to the thousands of Foster pianos and
   player-pianos sold in the United States in recent years, thousands
   were exported to foreign countries, where they have become estab-
   lished as truly 'American' instruments of fine manufacture and
   artistic quality."

As I said, the publication was definitely NOT a "Consumers' Guide" as
we know them today.  All manufacturers, even the stencil pianos, are
described in glowing terms...and they all, according to the book, sold
"thousands" of pianos.  I assume that 1001 would qualify as plural.

Ed Gaida

 [ Ed, I've heard that, "In 1923 more pianos were sold in the USA than
 [ babies were born, and 90% of them were player pianos."  Have you
 [ ever seen confirmation of this impressive statistic?  -- Robbie