I am back from Dallas and while reading previous days MMDigests
I noticed a mention of Kenneth Ames book, "Death in the Dining Room
and Other Tales of Victorian Culture".  I have the book and there
is indeed a large section in the book on music, the piano and the
reed organ.

Chapter 4, entitled "When the Music Stops", starts on page 150 and
ends on page 184.  The primary focus is on the reed organ, and some
of the photographs are literally priceless.

On page 178 there is a photograph of a Nebraska farmer and his family
taken in the yard of their home.  They are seated and standing around
their very ornate parlor organ.  I counted over fourteen photos and
advertisements for reed organs.  The pianos are not bad to look at in
their "native" surroundings.

If you have interests along this line the book is a "must have."

Where you buy the book depends on how much you pay for it.  My local
Borders bookstore quoted me a price of $49.95, while Barnes & Noble
were happy to sell it to me for $31.45.  Amazon.com has it for $49.95,
and Borders on their web site advertises the book for $27.97.  The ISBN
is 0877228914, so you are on your own.  A very well done book.

Ed Gaida
egaida@txdirect.net