Hello MMD.  Some of you may recall that several months ago I enquired
whether anyone had any sort of a catalog of Pianostyle Recordo rolls.
This was because I had acquired an English Parex Recordo-coded roll,
which I strongly suspect is actually a Pianostyle roll.  Well, my query
netted absolutely no replies, which was the result I rather expected.
So the only information I had was the list of 19 known Pianostyle
Recordo rolls in Bob and Ginny Billings Rollography.

A couple of months ago I was trawling half-heartedly through the list
of piano rolls for auction on eBay when I noticed one lot that was
accompanied by an unusually clear photo; i.e. one could actually read
the printing on the box labels.  As an aside I must say that many of
the roll vendors provide atrocious photos: hopelessly blurry, or only
the tops of the boxes are visible, and so on.

Anyway, this lot included a Pianostyle roll with an ornate label just
like the one in Bob and Ginny's book, with the magic words "Plays on
all 88 note and Expression Reproducing Pianos".  I was able to read all
the information off the label with the exception of the pianist's name
that is usually rubber-stamped on the roll leader.  What got me a little
excited was the fact that this was a roll not on the Billings' list.

So I emailed the vendor, explaining that I wouldn't be bidding for his
lot but would he mind having a look at the roll and he did.  Since then
I have repeated this operation several times, no doubt trying the
patience of some of the vendors.  However most of them have been very
good about it -- maybe an enquiry from Tasmania has a novelty value to
it, maybe they are basically pleasant, helpful people.  The upshot is
that I now have almost complete information on nine more Pianostyle
Recordos, although I haven't actually laid hands on any of them.

I realize that for most people this will be as exciting as the
discovery of a tick new to science under the feathers of a duck in
Patagonia, but I can't seem to stop looking.  And it occurred to me
today that there may be another source of information, that is the
subscribers to MMD.

I know it will be a minority, but some of you collect Recordo rolls.
Do any of you have any Pianostyle Recordos?  If so, would you be willing 
to email me the roll number, the title of the piece, any sub-title
(e.g. Fox Trot, March and so on), the copyright information, and on the
roll leader, the name of the pianist?

If I accumulate a worthwhile list I'll eventually publish it in these
very pages.

Regards from Hobart, Tasmania,
John Phillips