Book excerpt: This new edition of The Keyed Bugle is an expansion rather than a revision of the first edition. The performance practice discussion has been extended to cater to the needs of the reader who wishes to learn the instrument. All chapters contain new information, and the chapters on Performers, Makers and Sellers have been extensively expanded. An additional chapter offers an explanation of the peculiarly distinct acoustics of keyed bugles and provides an analysis of construction styles employed by particular makers. After closely researching instruments that have been documented by the signatures of specific firms and comparing them with unmarked examples, the author enables readers to make confident observations on the nature of regional and manufacturer's styles. The new research in this area provides the groundwork for informed speculation about the origins of undocumented keyed bugles. This work puts the best of current research on the instrument into book form and provides the collector, performer, and serious music student with a clear picture of the instrument's history, repertoire, and technique.