"To read Eduard Hanslick's From My Life is to be transported through time into the genial company of a delightful conversationalist, one who is warmly acquainted with many of the most fascinating cultural figures of nineteenth century Europe. Tom Moore's consummate translation allows Hanslick his full range of expression, while allowing the rest of us a truly magical opportunity." --Scott Burnham, distinguished professor of music, City University of New York, Graduate Center "Tom Moore's smooth and highly readable translation of Eduard Hanslick's memoirs gives us the committed aesthetician, the enthusiastic pianist, and the intimate of Theodor Billroth, Jacques Offenbach, and Johannes Brahms. We are introduced to some of the biggest personalities in nineteenth-century German music, not just as public figures but also as close friends knew them, providing a gentle counterweight to an age known for its thundering debates and bitter rivalries." --Jonathan D. Bellman, professor of music history and literature, University of Northern Colorado.