PJ, Nice to meet you. I'm not a piper, but was drawn to this thread for some reason. I picked up the book last Saturday from a used book shop here in Calgary. There is a small sticker on the cover indicating it was originally sold through a very good, but sadly now defunct independant seller here called Sandpiper Books. (A bookstore, BTW, which, despite its name, was in no way confined to books about pipers.)

I had an image in mind whilst reading the book of the author in front of a large chart, mapping out the connections-musical, temporal and geographical- of the people mentioned in the book. I was impressed by what must have been a great deal of research, and I'm always captivated by the anecdotal record as well.

I hope you stick around the Mudcat and share some more of your knowledge and experiences with us.
Cheers, Bardford
Incidentally, PJ, what's your feeling about used book stores? This is the first time I've had to confess to a writer that his book was purchased, um, outside the revenue-to-author stream. I feel like I've been caught, and should remit some form of restitution.