Fourteen sections, seventeen contributors; all over the composer's life, work and reach into the twentieth century, against the historical context of German unification and the creation of Bismarck's Reich; examining his controversial image as "perhaps the greatest genius that ever lived" – W.H.Auden, or "this old poisoner" – Debussy and "Wagner has wonderful moments, and dreadful quarters of an hour" – Rossini; with a special chapter on "Myths and Legends" that addresses the misconceptions with which Wagner has become associated; includes a detailed bibliography, full list of Wagner's prose writings, glossary of Wagnerian terms, calendar of his life; and who's who of his contemporaries; illustrated; 430pp.
