Bliss, by John Sugden (Omnibus Press, £9.99 in UK)

This new-fangled-looking large-format paperback actually contains a surprisingly old-fashioned study of the life and work of the composer Sir Arthur Bliss. It's a workman-like job, more instructive than inspiring. To be fair to the author, Bliss was never a man for the zippy soundbite - "I like work. I think it does you good. I'm always working," is about as zippy as he gets - and, despite the presence of a generous number of well-reproduced pictures, Bliss seems a trifle pricey at over a tenner.