Beethoven's Hair
by Martin, Russell
Ludwig van Beethoven lay dying in 1827, a young musician named Ferdinand Hiller came to pay his respects to the great composer. In those days, it was customary to snip a lock of hair as a keepsake, and this Hiller did a day after Beethoven's death. By the time he was buried, Beethoven's head had been nearly shorn by the many people who similarly had wanted a lasting memento of the great man. Such was his powerful effect on all those who had heard his music.For a century, the lock of hair was a treasured Hiller family relic, and perhaps was destined to end up sequestered in a bank vault, until it somehow found its way to the town of Gilleleje, in Nazi-occupied Denmark, during the darkest days of the Second World War. There, it was given to a local doctor, Kay Fremming, who was deeply involved in the effort to help save hundreds of hunted and frightened Jews. Who gave him the hair, and why? And what was the fate of those refugees, holed up in the attic of Gilleleje's church?After Fremming's death, his daughter assumed ownership of the lock, and eventually consigned it for sale at Sotheby's, where two American Beethoven enthusiasts, Ira Brilliant and Che Guevara, purchased it in 1994. Subsequently, they and others instituted a series of complex forensic tests in the hope of finding the probable causes of the composer's chronically bad health, his deafness, and the final demise that Ferdinand Hiller had witnessed all those years ago. The results, revealed for the first time here, are startling, and are the most compelling explanation yet offered for why one of the foremost musicians the world has ever known was forced to spend much of his life in silence.In Beethoven's Hair, Russell Martin has created a rich historical treasure hunt, an Indiana Jones-like tale of false leads, amazing breakthroughs, and incredible revelations. This unique and fascinating book is a moving testament to the power of music, the lure of relics, the heroism of the Resistance movement, and the brilliance of molecular science.An astonishing tale of one lock of hair and its amazing travels--from nineteenth-century Vienna to twenty-first-century America.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews
Review this book!
Available Copies
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- New
- Jacket Condition
- New
- Edition
- First Edition. First Printing
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Rock Island, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$18.01
Show Details
Description:
First Edition. First Printing. Fine new hardcover with fine new jacket. NOT a remainder. Swift, safe shipping. 11-b. Item Price
CA$18.01
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Fine
- Edition
- First Edition, First Printing
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover. 276 pp.
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Sewell, New Jersey, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$15.23
Show Details
Description:
Book and dust jacket are in fine condition. The image provided is the actual book I'm offering for sale. No markings or damage to any pages. No sunning. No clips. Structure of the book (covers, binding, spine, hinges) is tight and free of damage. Page block is nice and square. Uncut fore edge. Additional photos will be provided upon request… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$15.23
Beethoven's Hair
by Russell Martin
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780747548454
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Wellington, Auckland, NZL
- Item Price
-
CA$15.83
Show Details
Description:
Bloomsbury Pub Ltd. Very Good. 7.99 x 10 x 1.85 inches. Hardcover. 2000. 256 pages. <br>As Ludwig van Beethoven lay dying in 1827, a young musician named Ferdinand Hiller came to pay his respects to the great composer. In the days after Beethoven's death, Hiller snipp ed a lock of his hair as a keepsake. This lock was… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$15.83
Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Russell Martin
- Condition
- Used: Good
- Published
- 2000-10-17
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$11.54
Show Details
Description:
Broadway, 2000-10-17. Hardcover. Used: Good. Item Price
CA$11.54
Beethoven's Hair
by Russell Martin
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2000-08
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780747548454
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$20.71
Show Details
Description:
Bloomsbury Pub Ltd, 2000-08. Hardcover. Good. Item Price
CA$20.71
Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Reno, Nevada, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$8.33
Show Details
Description:
Broadway Books. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
CA$8.33
More Photos
Beethoven's hair : [An extraordinary historical odyssey and a scientific mystery solved]. [Prelude; 1770-1792; The Boy Who Snipped the Lock; 1792-1802; A Gift in Gilleleje; 1803-1812; Hair for Sale at Sotheby's; 1813-1824; Che Guevara's Hair; 1824-1826; Very Modern Microscopes; 1826-1827]
by Martin, Russell, 1952- [book design, Bonni Leon-Berman; Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich; jacket painting, J. M. Maehler; photo, Gary Isaacs]
- Condition
- Used - Fine
- Published
- 2000
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Stockbridge, Georgia, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$67.89
Show Details
Description:
New York : Broadway Books, 2000, 2000. Fine. 1st edition, 1st printing ; 276 p. ; 22 cm. ; ISBN: 0767903501; 9780767903509; LCCN: 00-31233 ; LC: ML410.B4; Dewey: 780/.92 ; OCLC: 44016338 ; brown and grey cloth in color pictorial dustjacket ; name on front endpaper ; "The unusual journey of a locket of the great… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$67.89
Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Musical Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780747548454
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Dunfermline, Fife, GBR
- Item Price
-
CA$8.33
Show Details
Description:
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
CA$8.33
Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Russell Martin
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$10.39
Show Details
Description:
Broadway. Used - Very Good. 2000. Hardcover. Cloth, d.j., in an acetate cover. Some shelf-wear. Else clean copy. Very Good. Item Price
CA$10.39
Beethoven's Hair
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Binding
- Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780747548454
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
CA$4.04
Show Details
Description:
Hardback. Very Good. Item Price
CA$4.04
More Photos
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved [SIGNED COPY]
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition; First Printing
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Traverse City, Michigan, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$55.35
Show Details
Description:
New York: Broadway Books. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 2000. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0767903501 . SIGNED by the author on the title page. A long-treasured lock of Beethoven's hair takes the author on a fascinating journey through the Beethoven's life, the people asscoiated with the loc (including a Nazi doctor who helped Jews… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$55.35
Beethoven's Hair : An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$6.93
Show Details
Description:
Broadway Books. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Item Price
CA$6.93
Beethoven's Hair
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Fine in Fine DJ
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Morganton, North Carolina, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$16.29
Show Details
Description:
New York: Broadway Books. Hardcover. 2000. 1st Edition. 8vo 276pp . Fine in Fine DJ. An extraordinary historical odyssey and a scientific mystery solved. Astonishing tale of one lock of hair taken from Ludwing van Beethoven a day after he died. The hair traveled from 19th century Vienna to 21st century America where it was subjected to a series of… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$16.29
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2000-10-17
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
San Francisco, California, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$34.57
Show Details
Description:
Broadway, 2000-10-17. Hardcover. Very Good. Signed 1st edition, 1st printing, Broadway hardcover w/ DJ, 2000. Book is Near Fine, w/ clean text, binding tight enough to suggest it is unread. DJ is Near Fine, w/ very light edge/shelf wear (no tears or chips), "autographed copy" sticker on front panel. Signed by author on title page.… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$34.57
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Published
- 2001-10-09
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780767903516
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Houston, Texas, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$7.14
Show Details
Description:
Broadway Books, 2001-10-09. Paperback. Good. 7x5x0. Item Price
CA$7.14
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Published
- 2000-10-17
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$5.53
Show Details
Description:
Broadway, 2000-10-17. Hardcover. Very Good. Ships quickly. Almost like new. Minimal shelf/reading wear. Orphans Treasure Box sells books to raise money for orphans and vulnerable kids. Item Price
CA$5.53
Beethoven's Hair
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780747548454
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Vancouver, Washington, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$22.17
Show Details
Description:
Bloomsbury Pub Ltd, 2000 hardback book and unclipped dust jacket in near fine condition. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Item Price
CA$22.17
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Russell Martin
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN
- 9780767903516
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
- Item Price
-
CA$2.45
Show Details
Description:
Paperback. Acceptable. Item Price
CA$2.45
Beethoven's Hair - 1st Edition/1st Printing
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Fine+ in Fine+ dust jacket
- Edition
- First Edition; First Printing
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Summerville, South Carolina, USA
- Item Price
-
CA$110.84
Show Details
Description:
New York: Broadway Books. Fine+ in Fine+ dust jacket. 2000. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0767903501 . A handsome first edition/first printing in unread Very Fine condition in Very Fine dust-jacket; This book tells the amazing story of Beethoven's hair from its beginning as a small tuft on his head to its end as a magnificent mane.… Read more about this item Item Price
CA$110.84
Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved
by Martin, Russell
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good, Not Price Clipped
- Edition
- American First
- Published
- 2000
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN
- 9780767903509
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN
- Item Price
-
CA$20.78
Show Details
Description:
New York, NY: Broadway Books, 2000. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. American First. Complete number line from 1 to 10; some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition.. Item Price
CA$20.78