Red cloth binding with black title on the spine and front board.

We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available. 

•      Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list

An early copy of a book which has stood the test of time – quite simply this book has remained in print for over 100 years. 

 ‘The Act of Touch in All Its Diversity ‘ is a guide to playing the piano or pianoforte by English pianist Tobias Matthay. It aims to provide the reader with a full understanding of the foundations of playing the instrument, explaining each step with simple instructions and expert tips. This classic guide is recommended for novices and new players, as well as those with an interest in early pianos and their operation. Contents include: ‘Preamble’, ‘The Problem of Pianoforte Training’, ‘The Problem of Education in the Art of Tone-Production’, ‘The Problem of Muscular Education’, ‘The Final Problem: The Union of Execution with Conception’, and ‘Conclusion, and Summary’. Tobias Augustus Matthay (1858 – 1945) was an English pianist, composer, and teacher. He was taught composition while at the Royal Academy of Music by Arthur Sullivan and Sir William Sterndale Bennett, and he was instructed in the piano by William Dorrell and Walter Macfarren.

NOTE: This is an original  book from the library gathered by the famous Cambridge Don, computer scientist, food and wine connoisseur, Jack Arnold LANG. Note: Jack founded the Michelin Guide ‘Midsummer House’- Cambridge’s paramount restaurant. This dining experience is hidden amongst the grassy pastures and grazing cattle of Midsummer Common and perched on the banks of the River Cam. 

In 2008, Jack was one of the co-founders of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, alongside other members of the Department, and acted as the Foundation’s Chair. The project’s original goals were modest: to build and distribute low-cost computers for prospective applicants to our Computer Science degree. Initially the project was a “success disaster”, as Jack would say, as demand far outstripped the low-scale manufacturing plans. Ultimately the Raspberry Pi became the UK’s most successful computer with more than 60 million sold to date. Jack was drawn to the educational possibilities of the Raspberry Pi, its potential uses in emerging economies and the way it could support self-directed learning.