Kaiser, Linda Pembroke. Pulling Strings: The Legacy of Melville A. Clark. Syracuse Univ. May 2010. c.186p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-8156-0950-6. $29.95. MUSIC. Copyright © 2010 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

This is the first book to be published about harpist Melville A. Clark (1883-1953), but it isn’t a biography. Instead, Kaiser, a fellow harpist, captures Clark’s little-known legacy as a musician, inventor, and entrepreneur. She devotes an entire chapter to the invention of the Clark Irish harp, the first portable harp made in America. Harp enthusiasts will appreciate the detailed explanations of the harp’s design and distinctive sound. Kaiser also lists Clark’s other inventions, including nylon music strings, which are still used today. Historians will be taken by the glimpses she provides into early 20th-century life, including a photograph of a piano and harp moving wagon and a newspaper clipping of British soldiers holding the tiny war balloons that Clark designed to send messages into enemy territory. Diagrams of his inventions are included in the appendixes. VERDICT Original historical documents, photographs, and personal interviews bring this book to life. The sequence of the narrative is sometimes hard to follow, but this volume remains a useful addition for libraries specializing in music and musical history.