Part treasure hunter, part problem solver, and part keen observer of human nature,Robert Friedman has spent decades buying, restoring, and finding new homes forpianos built by one of the finest manufacturers in the world: Steinway & Sons.In his search for grand pianos that could be brought back to their originalmagnificence, Bob--aka the Steinway Hunter--has traveled from the Canadian border tosouth Florida and west to the Mississippi River. Navigating through hills andhollows and along dark city roads before the era of GPS and cell phones, he reliedon pay phones and paper maps to locate old country churches, opulent mansions filledwith surprises, and the homes of an astonishingly wide range of people, from genteelelderly ladies to a down-on-their-luck family about to lose their ramshackle homeand on to a faded but wily Southern belle intent on revisiting her glory days andgetting top dollar for her piano at the same time. Throughout his trove of storiesand experiences, Bob''s love of music, family, friends, and colleagues shinesthrough. By turns humorous and poignant, the Steinway Hunter''s accounts of hisjourneys give us a look into a life spent in one of the best ways imaginable,combining a passion for music and fine pianos with a desire to bring about thehappiest possible ending not only for his clients, but also for the venerable,beautiful pianos he seeks out along the way.
