Hal Leonard has a new title on the way, The Martin Archives, a unique inside look into Martin’s reign as America’s oldest and most revered guitar maker, viewed through a selection of images, documents, and reproduced artefacts chosen from some 700,000 items the company has amassed over nearly two centuries. The publisher says that many of these have lain unseen in the Martin’s attic or vault for generations. From the concert halls of the pre-Civil War United States to the Grand Ole Opry stage to Woodstock, Coachella, and beyond, Martin’s instruments have been on hand to give voice to the human spirit.
The Martin Archives also contains pockets with reproductions of illuminating bits of its history, including old company records, letters from stars such as Gene Autry and Jimmie Rodgers, the purchase order for the first D-45 guitar, a handwritten history of the company on its 100th birthday by Frank Henry Martin, and other delights.