Out-Of-Print Villancico History

I finally got around to looking for a copy of Paul R. Laird‘s “Towards a History of the Spanish Villancico,” the most important book of its kind in the English language. My first stop was the online shop of the publisher Harmonie Park Press* where I discovered the book still in the catalog and reduced in price from $35 down to $17.50.

Making the decision to purchase it was a no-brainer, however, a note stopped me in my tracks. An ominous Out Of Stock, highlighted in red, compelled me to inquire about a restocking. Unfortunately, this was the email response I received:

“Paul Laird’s “Towards a History of the Spanish Villancico” is permanently out of print and unfortunately, is no longer available.”

Even though it was both prompt and polite, I was disappointed with the reply.

The History is indispensable and required reading for anyone interested in the subject. Originally published in 1997, I can imagine that few individuals and libraries outside of academia own a copy. The picture above is of one owned by Indiana University.

My quest continues. To date, the usual online distributors have turned up nothing.

*They do have many other books about music in stock. It’s worth looking through the catalog.

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