Book: Musical Machines and Living Dolls - The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata

The Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ is home to the Guinness Collection of 750 antique, mechanical musical instruments and automata. 150 pieces from the collection are on display at the museum.

The museum has just created an illustrated catalog of its permanent exhibition titled Musical Machines and Living Dolls: The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata. Written by Ellen M. Snyder-Grenier (former Curator of the Guinness Collection) this 144-page hardcover features 138 photographs and over 20 illustrations.

Evenly divided between automata and mechanical musical instruments, the book is a wealth of information on the history of both. It is a beautiful and well-written book, which offers a rich view of an extremely important collection. I recommend it.

You can purchase copies of Musical Machines and Living Dolls by phone (973-971-3737), or by filling out and mailing the form offered on Morris Museum web site.

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