This is certainly an ambitious work--it contains more than 400 pages of text, an extensive bibliography, and a helpful index (which includes albums, bands/ensembles, drums, drum-product manufacturers, people, pieces, places, and general information). A professional drummer (and also a music journalist), Dean reveals that he wrote the book to satisfy his personal curiosity, to "find out how the modern drums that [he] play[s] today evolved and from where they came." He also suggests that acquiring such knowledge can help make one a better drummer/musician and consumer of music. To that end, this book would be useful as a basic resource for locating additional materials. Dean's writing style and organizational format make for a memoir-type narrative--a book reminiscent of Encyclopedia of Percussion, ed. by John Beck (2nd ed., 2007, CH, Jan'98, 45-2347) but infused with anecdotes (some of them intensely personal). The result is a hybrid work containing threads of scholarship, biography, and personal memoir. It might encourage readers to reflect on their own lives and careers in similar fashion. Summing Up: Recommended.

Choice Reviews

[The Drum: A History] is a detailed look at the development of our favorite instrument from the ancient times to the modern drum kit. The book begins with an exhaustive cataloging of drums from across the globe, divided into geographical region. . . . The breadth of material is impressive.

Rhythm Magazine

In this...book...[Matt dean]...provide[s] a comprehensive history of drums and drumming from ancient times right up to the latest innovations in both popular and concert music....this book can be highly recommended...for the chapter on the history of the drum set.

Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association

For those who work at universities and other music centers, this book is an outstanding publication and would be a great addition to your library.

Percussive Notes