author
Horace Petherick
1839–1919
Best known as a prolific Victorian illustrator, he later became a respected writer on violins, their makers, and the craft of repair. His books bring together practical knowledge, historical curiosity, and the eye of someone who also worked as an artist.
2 Audiobooks
The Repairing & Restoration of Violins 'The Strad' Library, No. XII.
by Horace Petherick
Antonio Stradivari
by Horace Petherick
About the author
Horace William Petherick (1839–1919) was a British artist, illustrator, writer, and violin connoisseur. He illustrated more than 100 books, and his work also survives in UK public art collections. Later in life, he became especially known for writing about stringed instruments and the history of violin making.
His violin books were shaped by hands-on interest as well as scholarship. Sources describe him as the author of works including The History of the Violin, Antonio Stradivari, Joseph Guarnerius: His Work and His Master, and Repairing and Restoration of Violins. That mix of historical research and practical expertise helped make his writing useful to both enthusiasts and makers.
Petherick’s career feels unusually wide-ranging: he moved from illustration and visual storytelling into specialist writing on music and craftsmanship, yet the same close attention to detail runs through both sides of his work. A portrait sketch of him by his daughter Rosa Petherick also survives, offering a small personal glimpse of the man behind the books.