In the mid 1930s, just prior to World War II, G. A. Briggs left his trade of selling cloth and began manufacturing loudspeaker drivers. Like a good many pioneers in the audio trade, he was almost totally unschooled for the part. This never seemed to be a problem, however, and his products made their way in the world at a remarkable pace. His Wharf edale company became a power in the emerging high fidelity field after the war. As well it should have since his products were superior.

But Gilbert Arthur Briggs was more than a manufacturer-he was a missionary for excellent sound. He taught himself the fun- damentals and wrote a remarkable range of books about good sound. These were written in plain English, making the intricacies of sound reproduction accessible to any reasonably intelligent reader. They sold in the tens of thousands, world-wide.

Shortly after Briggs' death, his factory and warehouse in York- shire were destroyed by a flood. All the plates for his many vol- umes were destroyed, as well as the remaining stocks of books. When our company offered to reprint selected titles from the list, Wharf edale graciously gave consent.

Although obviously dated, his books raise and discuss the same issues we still wrestle with today. Although we have more reliable theory and the enormous benefit of computers for design and analysis, G.A. Briggs' grasp and exposition of the basics is still helpful. Reading him today gives us not only a good overview, but some historical perspective, as well.