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I bought that Charles Cooke book years ago.. decades ago for that matter. I still read it occasionally.

Have you looked at the price of it lately? My sister loaned me hers and I was going to buy a copy but it's $53 on Amazon and used copies start at $42 and go to $100! So I guess I'll just read it awhile and keep my eyes open for a reasonably priced copy. I like his philosophy of piano - very zen piano book (whatever that means :})

Somebody needs to write "Zen and the Art of Piano Playing". Nah, probably violates copyright or something. How 'bout "The Zen Pianist"? It should be conversational and motivational like the motorcycle book was.

Sorry to intrude on this thread, I hardly belong here (I'm not an adult and I'm not REALLY a beginner even though I play like one!) after all, but I just thought I'd comment on this really quick (I've got a long history with this nocturnes; it's helped in 3 various auditions). It's always good to come up with stories or descriptions of pieces, of course, and what I always imagined was a teenage boy (possibly Chopin I suppose) stumbling down a darkened street after hours, alone, crying out for the love of his life who just left him at a town dance (after a fight). He holds a flower and mournfully holds his hands in the air at times with sobs (I imagine the right hand interest to be a sort of grasp at the heavens for an answer if you see what I mean). Then the boy perhaps reaches his house, falls uneasily into bed, and then slowly enters a serene sleep.

Ludwig,
If we're going to be a stickler for details, then we should probably get the author of "Chopin in Paris" correct. It is actually Tad Szulc, not Ted Sulz.

Happy Reading!