The firm of Rudall & Rose, later Rudall, Rose & Carte, and finally Rudall Carte, dominated flute making in Britain for a century and a half from their founding in 1822. For much of their existence almost every professional flute player and most serious amateurs in Britain played on one of this firm’s instruments.

This book is a comprehensive history of the firm and contains detailed descriptions of the many innovative instruments they made. There are hundreds of colour photographs of flutes, alto flutes, bass flutes and piccolos, each shown in at least two views, and where necessary in three or four views with photographs of details. The firm’s output is shown in context with photographs of dozens of flutes made by their competitors including Willis, Prowse, Monzani, Wood, Wylde, ‘Pratten’s Perfected’ by Boosey & Co., Fentum, Godfroy, Koch, Boehm, Laurent, Gerock, Badger, Ward, Card, Siccama, Clinton, Lot, Collard and Boehm & Mendler.