"The Opera Ghost really existed," Gaston Leroux declared, introducing the world to his most famous literary character, the Phantom of the Opera. The legendary Opera Ghost continues to live in the hearts of Phans dedicated to Leroux's tale of mystery, passion and unrequited love. "Phantom Phantasia" by E.A. Bucchianeri is a poetical celebration of the enigmatic masked genius haunting the depths of the Paris Opera house. A collection of twenty poems varying in style from the serious to the comic, each poem is richly illustrated with vintage images in addition to artwork, photographs and original colour plates designed by the author evoking the elegant Belle Epoque days of Paris."

Set in New York and New Jersey during the early 1990s, "Brushstrokes of a Gadfly" reveals the story of Katherine Walsingham, the only daughter of the CEO and Chairman of Walsingham Industries, an international cosmetic and pharmaceutical company that has been in the family for generations.

Daunted by its global proportions, she has no real interest in the business other than its sentimental value. An artist by calling and temperament, a lover of literature, a philosophical idealist and animal rights activist unafraid to speak her mind, Katherine has a talent for leaping ahead with anything that seems like a good idea at the time ... often landing in hot water with her sharp tongue and allegorical paintings to the consternation and amusement of everyone around her.

Setting her heart on opening her own gallery when she graduates from an elite art college, life is good. With a trust fund to secure her, she has no real worries that are the plague of struggling artists, but soon discovers wealth does not guarantee a smooth passage in life, for all her plans do not turn out exactly as she expected.

Opening a gallery is not an easy task, and Katherine must quickly learn to balance art and business, demanding customers and harsh art critics, family tragedies and disappointments. With so much to do, romance is the last thing on her mind, and despite her best efforts to avoid any entanglements, falls in love with one of New York's most eligible bachelors. From her own reticence to become involved with anyone, to the rumours spread about his family, it is a relationship that seems doomed, but Katherine finds that love will blossom where it will and cannot be controlled or stifled, nor the joy and heartache that accompanies it.

"Brushstrokes of a Gadfly" is a story brimming with vibrant and entertaining characters that only New York's High Society and art circles can provide. It is a colourful and amusing novel tinged with human tragedy.

Many Classical music lovers are familiar with George Frideric Handel's famous oratorio, "Messiah," but are not aware his preferred area of composition was Italian opera seria. Biographical books explore his career as an opera composer and the rise of the new pious genre when Italian opera was no longer popular in London, but rarely do we find detailed accounts or discussions on that tempestuous period in the 1730s when this shift in populaity forced Handel to leave the Haymarket theatre and join with John Rich at Covent Garden where he tried to carry on the Royal Academy opera company in competition with the new Opera of the Nobility venture founded by the Prince of Wales before he was finally forced to abandon opera in favour of oratorio. This book explores this rocky transition period and how it affected Handel's work, namely, his inclusion of French elements to his operas and other novel innovations in order to regain his chagrined public. There are discussions exploring the possibility Handel was his own worse enemy with regards to his business decisions as impresario-composer, alienating the Italians of London and his public, which nearly cost him his career. A fascinating study for Handel admirers.

..". There were so many details raised and questions asked which make the reader really excited and interested in the period and what was happening. ... There are many, many details which just suddenly bring home to you, 'My goodness, (opera production) was different in those days ' ... There are many things that jumped out of this book at me ..." - David Adams, 'Into the Evening', Lyric FM Classical Music Radio Ireland

"A Compendium of Essays" is a unique collection presenting new and intriguing philosophical analysis on several renowned composers and their work from the Baroque period to contemporary times. E.A. Bucchianeri discusses familiar topics that include Purcell's opera "Dido and Aeneas," William Hogarth's painting "The Rake's Leve" featuring Handel, a selection of Beethoven's symphonies, Liszt's "Faust Symphony" and the conception of the symphonic poem genre, Orientalism and Debussy's progressive style, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "The Phantom of the Opera" as an example of the 'Musical Theatre Renaissance'. In Many instances, the author offers different theories that are original, informative and will appeal to all music lovers, professionals and amateurs, or those who wish to explore music philosophy in general. Admirers of Hogarth and his artwork will also find "A Compendium of Essays" interesting due to a novel interpretation of "The Rake's Leve" from a musical perspective. Illustration and musical examples are included in several of the essays, enriching the author's analytical theories and philosophical observations. "A Compendium of Essays" will prove an additional treasure to any library.

Features the following essays:

"Purcell's Dido and Aeneas: A Musical Exemplum for Young Gentlewomen"

"Hogarth, Handel, and 'The Leve' from 'The Rakes Progress': A Satirical Portrait Worth a Thousand Words"

"The Symphonies of Beethoven: Historical and Philosophical Reflections through Music"

"Liszt, Goethe, the 'Faust Symphony', and the Symphonic Poem: 'The Word Must Become the Deed' "

"Orientalism, Music and Debussy: West Meets East"

"Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Phantom of the Opera': An Example of the 'Musical Theatre Renaissance' "

..". In the 'Symphonies of Beethoven: Historical and Philosophical Reflections Through Music', Bucchianeri posits that Beethoven's symphonies reflect the composer's perception of his own world and his attitudes toward society and culture. That this perception changed over time is revealed by the stylistic progression of the works. Beethoven's earliest works in the genre contain the element of the 'sublime', an aesthetic concept earmarked by grand concepts, powerful emotions, imagery, dignity, and elevation. Drawing on the philosophy of Edmund Burke, the author describes the sublime as 'large and unfathomable, rough and rugged, terrifying and painful, without actually experiencing this intangible state.' The opening movements of the first two symphonies show elements of the noble concept of the 'sublime'. In the Third and and Fifth Symphonies Beethoven expanded on the sublime style to epic proportions; in the Sixth he integrated the concept that 'all things sublime are both ancient and new, as in nature.' By the Ninth, Beethoven turned to the concept of the sublime as unfathomable as the heavens. Here the author offers an interpretation of the Ninth in relation to Beethoven's character and philosophies. The book includes a select bibliography and index for all the essays." - Patricia Stroh, the "Beethoven Journal," San Jose University

A comprehensive exploration of Dr. Faust, the man who sold his soul to the devil, and those who dared to tell his tale.

Volume I includes: New insights into the life and times of the historical Dr. Faustus, the notorious occultist and charlatan who reputedly declared the devil was his 'brother-in-law'. A detailed study of the first Faust books and the popular Faustian folk tales. Original discussion on Christopher Marlowe's famous drama and his 'atheistic' rendition of the Faustian myth, including a unique and controversial analysis of the A and B texts. The days of the Faust puppet plays. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's unfinished Faust drama.

Volume II features: A unique, in-depth account Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his masterpiece, Faust, Parts One and Two. An examination of the early sketches of his classic drama. Includes detailed revealations of Goethe's hidden symbolism in the text, his interest in history and science, the occult, alchemy, Freemasonry and his warnings to future generations.

"As a compendium of useful facts, there's not likely to be a replacement any time soon. Bucchianeri pursues every avenue of Faustian analogue with a dogged persistence that would win accolades from Ahab. ... Bucchianeri's unceasing search for source materials brings together in one place the many texts that build the Faust legend from the late Middle Ages onward, ..." - Dr. K.A. Laity, College of Saint Rose, Journal of Folklore Research

..". two large-format volumes is sure to provide enterprising readers with a lavish diet of documentary matter, commentary, and conjecture on the Faust tradition from its medieval origins to the 'almost unapproachable zenith' which it attained in the year of Goethe's demise. ... Bucchianeri investigates each controversial incident in turn, drawing parallels with historical figures, Dante's Divine Comedy, Arthurian and other late medieval legends, and citing sources which range from the Bible to Copernican astronomy. ... The distinctive quality of Bucchianeri's commentary lies in tireless contextualization, with each incident in Faust's career related to specific historical events, cultural phenomena, or to background circumstances; ... In Volume II, key stages of Goethe's career are graphically recounted with the help of over two thousand footnotes ... there is no denying the near-boundless enthusiasm with which Bucchianeri approaches even the most recondite passages of Faust II." - Dr. Osman Durrani, University of Kent, Modern Language Review

A comprehensive exploration of Dr. Faust, the man who sold his soul to the devil, and those who dared to tell his tale.

Volume I includes: New insights into the life and times of the historical Dr. Faustus, the notorious occultist and charlatan who reputedly declared the devil was his 'brother-in-law'. A detailed study of the first Faust books and the popular Faustian folk tales. Original discussion on Christopher Marlowe's famous drama and his 'atheistic' rendition of the Faustian myth, including a unique and controversial analysis of the A and B texts. The days of the Faust puppet plays. Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's unfinished Faust drama.

Volume II features: A unique, in-depth account Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and his masterpiece, Faust, Parts One and Two. An examination of the early sketches of his classic drama. Includes detailed revealations of Goethe's hidden symbolism in the text, his interest in history and science, the occult, alchemy, Freemasonry and his warnings to future generations.

"As a compendium of useful facts, there's not likely to be a replacement any time soon. Bucchianeri pursues every avenue of Faustian analogue with a dogged persistence that would win accolades from Ahab. ... Bucchianeri's unceasing search for source materials brings together in one place the many texts that build the Faust legend from the late Middle Ages onward, ..." - Dr. K.A. Laity, College of Saint Rose, Journal of Folklore Research

..". two large-format volumes is sure to provide enterprising readers with a lavish diet of documentary matter, commentary, and conjecture on the Faust tradition from its medieval origins to the 'almost unapproachable zenith' which it attained in the year of Goethe's demise. ... Bucchianeri investigates each controversial incident in turn, drawing parallels with historical figures, Dante's Divine Comedy, Arthurian and other late medieval legends, and citing sources which range from the Bible to Copernican astronomy. ... The distinctive quality of Bucchianeri's commentary lies in tireless contextualization, with each incident in Faust's career related to specific historical events, cultural phenomena, or to background circumstances; ... In Volume II, key stages of Goethe's career are graphically recounted with the help of over two thousand footnotes ... there is no denying the near-boundless enthusiasm with which Bucchianeri approaches even the most recondite passages of Faust II." - Dr. Osman Durrani, University of Kent, Modern Language Review