Opera:  The Complete Guide to the Operas, Composers, Artists and Recordings by Matthew Boyden is a 715-page softcover published in 199 by The Rough Guides.  The condition is near perfect, with no perceivable flaws. 

Book Summary

The Rough Guide to Opera is a unique handbook on the most thrilling of art forms, spanning nearly four centuries of music drama.  Features include:

• Biographical sketches of some 150 composers, from Claudio Monteverdi to Thomas Ades, detailing the main events of their careers while revealing their social and musical context.
• Entertaining accounts of hundreds of operas, both famous and obscure, with a clear synopsis and concise essay for each.
• Incisive CD reviews, covering not just the latest digital recordings but also dozens of classic historical sets.
• A who's who of the finest singers on record, from Caruso and Ponselle, through divas such as Callas and Joan Sutherland, to present-day stars like Jose Cura and Angela Gheorghiu.

ISBN:  1-85828-456-2