An interesting exercise in the imagination: but not interesting or imaginative enough for me to keep it in my collection. The Author proposes the biographical basis of Elgar's "Enigma" Variations. Many others have tried this, in musicological or biographical works, and while the final verdict will probably never be returned this side of Parnassus, this effort is neither convincing nor particulary well-wriiten. For what it's worth, the most spirited writing comes early in the book, in the account of a village sports contest ( )