Anatomy of the Orchestra by Norman Del Mar

I’ve read this book many times, for enjoyment as much as information. The wit, superb writing style, and breadth of information are all breathtaking as an orchestrator and professor takes you on a tour through the orchestra. But it’s really not an orchestration manual, in that it doesn’t lay out sample after sample with hard facts and systematic information. Rather, Del Mar has a system of his own, that’s more like taxonomy than orchestration. Highly recommended.