"Music Boxes and Automatons," Catalog of Ernst Holzweissig Nachf., 1898. Reprinted in 1997 by Gold Horse Publishing, Annapolis, MD. Soft cover, 441 pages with well over a thousand drawings. The book measures 10-1/4 inches (26.1 cm) high by 7-1/4 inches (18.4 cm) wide.
Text from the Preface by Christian Bailly is as follows:
"As this hefty catalog attests, Ernst Holzweissig Nachfolger (the latter word meaning "successors") was a large and important firm, one of the most active wholesalers of mechanical musical instruments and related items at the turn of the century. The firm was based in Leipzig, at the time the world capital of disc music box manufacture, and was founded in the latter part of the 19th century...
This is a giant catalog of musical items sold by the Leipzig firm of Ernst Holzweissig Nachf. at the turn of the nineteenth century. Descriptions of items are listed in three languages: German, English and French, along with prices in German Marks and Pfennigs. Among the many manufacturers represented by Holzweissig were: Adler, Ariston, Eckardt, Herophon, Intona, Kalliope, Kalliston, Mignon, Monopol, Orphenion, Orpheus, Sirion, Symphonion, and Troubadour.
Although Holzweissig call themselves "manufacturers," this term should be taken loosely. It was a common practice at the time to offer goods from other makers, or to assemble parts purchased elsewhere, in order to sell them under one's own label. In any case, the wealth and variety of items offered is astounding, ranging from spare parts for the repair of machines to huge orchestrions, instruments that gave the impression that a whole orchestra was playing. In addition to these, marottes and animated pictures, musical clocks and chairs, musical banks, Christmas-tree stands, musical instruments, tables, music and disc stands, and countless other items are offered.
...This catalog, while serving as a reference for some extremely rare and sought-after pieces, is also of great help in dating certain of them. Most importantly, however, it allows us to relive in our imaginations the sights and sounds of the vibrant turn of the century. I hope you will enjoy this leap into the past as much as I have."
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