Max Harrison is a musicologist who reviewed for The Times and The Gramophone from 1967-90, has written widely on jazz, and contributed to the 1980 edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and other reference works.

• Introduction; 1. Before the beginning; 2. The family breaks up; 3. Zveref and Moscow; 4. Composition starts; 5. The break with Zveref; 6. To Ivanovka; 7. More compositions; 8. Towards graduation; 9. Aleko and the graduation; 10. First moves as 'Free Artist'; 11. More productions and Tchaikovsky's death; 12. The long road to Symphony No. 1; 13. A symphony misunderstood; 14. London visit, Moscow cure; 15. The Crimea, Italy, Concerto No. 2; 16. Composition concludes and there is a marriage; 17. Variations, Preludes and a child is born; 18. Two operas; 19. An abortive revolution, the operas produced; 20. Sonata, Symphony, part of an opera; 21. The Isle of the Dead and Concerto No. 3; 22. America and the Liturgy; 23. 1910, more preludes, more conducting; 24. Etudes Tableaux, Marietta Shaginian, more songs; 25. The Bells and a last sonata; 26. World War I, All-Night Vigil, last songs; 27. Final composing in Russia, escape from Petrograd; 28. The expatriate artist: first concerts, first recordings; 29. Rachmaninoff fully established; 30. Two more seasons, more recordings; 31. Concerto No. 4, Chansons Russes; 32. Rachmaninoff the pianist; 33. Classic recordings and orchestration by another; 34. Senar and LaFolia; 35. Rapsodie, Sympony No. 3; 36. Four more seasons, major recordings; 37. Symphonic Dances; 38. Last recordings, a final tour; 39. Envoi; Appendices: Chronological list of works; Classified list of works; Discography; Bibliography; Index.

"'Max Harrison wears his scholarship lightly, producing an eminently readable text which unveils the story of Rachmaninoff clearly and interestingly. His comments on the music and especially on Rachmaninoff's extensive recordings are particularly insightful, and add much to our understanding of them...very well-researched book... This excellently-produced book is much to be commended, and is most reasonably priced.' Musical Opinion 'Harrison's work is admirable... his research is exhaustive and wide-ranging... Harrison is a man with a mission to make us take Rachmaninoff's music more seriously... a book to be treasured by all... it is impossible to read it without reflecting that its subject has been comprehensively misunderstood; Harrison's work takes a major step to putting that situation right and doing justice to the composer and his music.' International Piano '...an honest, enormously detailed and very interesting book on a fascinating subject.' Bahman Barekat, Rachmaninoff Society Newsletter 'It is so satisfying to have another important book about this great composer - it is comprehensive and well researched. Max Harrison writes with passion and intelligence - highly recommended'. Vladimir Ashkenazy, President of the Rachmaninoff Society"