My Short List of Books on The Classical Guitar and Classical Guitar Construction

This is NOT a definitive list of books about the classical guitar and how to make them. I have all of these books in my personal library and I find that they cover the best of what is the classical guitar. This list is simply a starting point if you are interested in the history of classical guitar and its construction methods. I highly recommend that you join the Guild of American Luthiers , here you can learn about all sorts of stringed instrument making, and you should visit Orfeo Magazine to learn more about the classical guitar of the 20th and 21st centuries. I started this list about the year 2012 after I gave a few lectures to classical guitar students at several universities in Colorado. Please feel free to share this list!

You can also find this list on my Substack account! Don’t forget to subscribe to my Substack, I will being posting more about how I make a classical guitar!

Books on Classical Guitar Construction

Courtnall, Roy. (1993) Making Master Guitars. London, England: Robert Hale.

Cumpiano, William. (1993) Guitarmaking: Tradition and Technology. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Doubtfire, Stanley. (1983) Make Your Own Classical Guitar. New York, NY: Schocken Books.

Middleton, Rik. (1997) The Guitar Maker’s Workshop. Rambsury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England: The Crowood Press Ltd.

Overholtzer, Arthur. (1974) Classic Guitar Making. San Francisco, CA: Brock Publishing Company

Romanillos, Jose. (2013) Making A Spanish Guitar. Guijosa, Spain: RH Publications.

Sloane, Irving. (1989) Classic Guitar Construction. Westport, CT: The Bold Strummer Ltd.

Books on the Classical Guitar

Bermudez, Egberto, et al. (1991) The Spanish Guitar. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cleveland, Russell, et al. (2002) The Classical Guitar, A Complete History. San Francisco, CA: Backbeat Books.

Evans, Tom and Mary Ann. (1977) Guitars: From The Renaissance to Rock. Over Wallop, Hampshire, UK: BAS Printers Ltd.

George, David. (1969) The Flamenco Guitar. Westport, CT: The Bold Strummer Ltd.

Gordon, Stefano. (2001) Masterpieces of Guitar Making. Sondrio, Italy: L’Officina del Libro. 

Huber, John. (1991) The Development of the Modern Guitar. Westport, CT: The Bold Strummer Ltd.

Oribe, Jose. (1985) The Fine Guitar. Pacific, MO.: Mel Bay Publications.

Ramirez, Amalia. (2006) 125th Anniversary, Jose Ramirez. Madrid, Spain: Ediciones Casa Ramirez.

Ramirez, Jose. (1990) Things About the Guitar. Madrid, Spain: Soneto Ediciones Musicales.

Ray, John, et al. (2014) The Granada School of Guitar-Makers. Granada, Spain: Diputación de Granada.

Rodriguez, Manuel. (2003) The Art and Craft of Making Classical Guitars. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation.

Romanillos, Jose. (1990) Antonio de Torres: Guitar Maker-His Life & Work. Westport, CT: The Bold Strummer Ltd.

Urlik, Sheldon. (2015) A Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars. 2nd ed. Salt Lake City, UT: Sunny Knoll Publishing.

Wade, Graham. (2001) A Concise History of the Classic Guitar. Pacific, MO: Mel Bay Publications.

Periodicals on the Classical Guitar and Its Construction

American Lutherie. Tacoma, WA: Guild of American Luthiers.

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Guitar Review. New York, NY: Classical Guitar Society of New York.