BOOK REVIEW

By

David Reffkin

King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era (second edition)

By Edward A. Berlin

ISBN 9780199740321

New York: Oxford University Press, 2016; paperback, 434pp

     At last, the most reliable biography of Scott Joplin has been expanded and updated! After more than 20 years of adding to his massive collection of data, newspaper articles, photos and serious conjectures, Ed Berlin presents the second edition, which is again more than the sum of its many parts. With a reorganization of chapters and an extra hundred pages, the story of Joplin’s life and work not only brings the full scope of Ed’s research into focus, but his craft of biographical writing makes it a worthy reading experience. (Note: my having performed a pre-publication review edit does not influence my appraisal; it served to let me become that much more acquainted with its content.)

     A distinction between the two editions may be outlined by a quick comparison of chapter entries. Certainly, all topics were revisited and magnified in greater detail. But new areas and previously covered material are now placed in their own chapters. A few of these include: Joplin’s early years before ragtime brought him fame, ragtime’s early years before Joplin brought it fame, his steps leading to musical theater, the publishers John Stark and Seminary Music, the opera Treemonisha, his final works, and the fading and subsequent revival of his legacy through the decades. The extent of additional material is evident in the index length (increased from 6 to 14 pages) and three new appendix entries.

     King of Ragtime retains the use of musical examples. I suggest, as I did in reviews of the first edition, this is not an impediment to readers who do not read music. One can easily read around it, as the narrative text is complete in itself. The music notation simply illustrates examples for those who can read it. Frankly, I feel most musical biographies could benefit by using such musical evidence.

     I asked Ed if he thought this book would likely remain the most complete biography of Joplin (give or take new historical tidbits to be discovered through the years). His immediate response was no, because someday someone may be able to find and cull many more old newspaper articles (a deep source for much of his new information). So there’s your challenge, ragtimers! In the meantime, do read, enjoy, and keep handy what is for the foreseeable future the definitive work on Scott Joplin.