Mendelssohn Remem- bered by Roger Nichols (Faber, £12.99 in UK)

Mendelssohn became the idol of Victorian England and a favourite of Queen Victoria itself, but his golden years (he did not live long, in any case) were in his Romantic youth. Though he had a careerist streak as well as a slightly offputting goody-goody side, he was basically a good and kind man who inspired affection in many men and women, and the overall picture which emerges from this welter of impressions and reminiscences is of goodness and an essential simplicity. The period photographs add much to the charm of the book, which is ultrareadable even for those with a limited interest in music.