Book excerpt: By the time of his death in 2010 at the age of 84, Sir Charles Mackerras had achieved widespread recognition, recorded extensively and developed into a conductor of major international significance. A detailed narrative account of his life is complemented by chapters written by performers and scholars who worked closely with Mackerras: as well as interviews with his family. The book is illustrated with photographs and documents, and it includes a comprehensive discography along with listings of many of his concert and opera performances. While Sir Charles' whole life is considered, emphasis is given to his final quarter century, a period in which so many important projects were realized