Banjos by Akira Tsumura (1984, Hardcover)

Full of color plates of banjos that this man collected over a lifetime, it is like looking at the history of worthy 4 string (tenor and plectrum) banjos with a few 5 string banjos thrown in. While this book is 99% 4 string banjos, it is a "bible" for those of us who collect banjos. The beauty and history of each instrument is very well shown in the full color plates of both front and back of each banjo.

It is a shame this collection was sold off a few years ago, but if you can afford this book it is well worth having. It was produced in limited numbers and generally a copy in good to excellent condition will go for $$$. If it has the box it originally came in expect to pay close to $$$$ for a copy of it.