Vintage Synthesizers, published by Keyboard magazine, provides a detailed look at the synth world from the early '60s onward. Vail starts with Don Buchla's first modular system, a daring keyboard-less venture, and works his way up to the relatively modern Yamaha DX-7. Yep, that's right, a digital keyboard - this book is not a fetishistic wank on analogism. In fact, one of the most informative bits is Wendy Carlos explaining the additive synthesis process used in Digital Keyboards' Synergy machine (whose predecessor, the Crumar GDS, was used by Carlos to do the music for Tron). Another highlight is the interview with synth tech Timothy Smith, in which he walks through cleaning up an ARP 2600 by substituting modern op amp chips. Vail also touches on various oddities, such as the Optigan, and gives often overlooked synth-kit makers Paia their due. Vintage Synthesizers provides a nice perspective on many historically important machines, including the commercial flops and could-have-beens. If you're a buyer, a builder, or just a browser, this is a resource worth checking out. (Miller Freeman Books)