This book is simple, concise, but thorough enough to get the hang of everything you need to start playing the harp (harmonica). No lengthy history about blues or its thousand year old beginning. I can find that anywhere on the internet or in a library. What it does do is teach you in very easy to learn steps, from just simply telling you the holes to play at what tempo, to progressively moving you into fully readable sheet music by the end! How great is that?! It actually teaches you how to READ MUSIC. And it is only a 40 page book, with half of it completely sheet music or illustrations.The illustrations are also very helpful. All of the illustrations can be easily understood or seen in relation to the layout of a piano, which is very helpful to someone who doesn't know the first thing about music or harmonicas, but has seen and messed around on a piano before. It even tells you everything in either a Chromatic or Diatonic Harp.This book came from 1975, using phrases like "far-out," yet the text is still easily and professionally read.To give this book a 5-star rating in just one word: Timeless.Learn to Play the Alfred Way: Harmonica