Les Éditions des Robins

Created in 2011 to publish Stauffer & Co., Les Éditions des Robins is my own publishing house, named after the hamlet where the business was located at the time.

The Guitar Case Files, iss. no.1:

"In Another Antonio's Shadow"

I am very happy to present the latest free article issued by Les Editions the Robins. It is at the same time the 10th publication issued by this little publishing company of mine AND the opener for a series of guitar-related articles titled The Guitar Case Files. For reasons that are made transparent to the reader in the foreword, this piece is quite dear to me.

While this first issue of the GCF is nearly a one-man job (not totally though, because Simon Palmer, who has been a precious help since the days of Stauffer & Co., is ever faithful on the job), the idea of the series is to invite other authors to share interesting and possibly hard to publish material - if they are inclined to adopt the formal proposition, which is that of a free PDF-format.

Speaking of Stauffer & Co., this latest project was also a perfect occasion to invite another old friend on board: as he did for the subscribers the aforementioned book, Benoît Albert recorded a couple of pieces on the very guitar that inspired "In Another Antonio's Shadow". Three truly marvellous videos and one audio recording are kindly made available through his web site (to be redirected, click here).

Enjoy and feel free to get back to me with any inquiries or comments concerning the article and/or The Guitar Case Files-series.


Erik Pierre Hofmann


The Guitar Case Files, iss. no.2:

"The Guitars of the Tyrolese Minstrels"


And here is the second article from the series, this time one written by Stefan Hackl (co-author of Stauffer & Co. and The Renewed Guitar). It sheds new light on the cultural phenomenon which were the "Nationalsänger" - and on the guitars these ensembles from the Tyrol did use.  

The Guitar à la Sagrini

An article by Erik Pierre Hofmann.

Click below for a free PDF-version of this article, which was first published in issue n°200 of the Italian magazine Il Fronimo (October 2022).

Presented exclusively by Éditions des Robins, in PDF-format only. Printing or selling this publication is strictly prohibited.

The Renewed Guitar - The Instrument's Evolution Seen Through Period Pictures (1775-1925)

by Erik Pierre Hofmann and Stefan Hackl

392 pages; hardcover and sleeve; large format

2 languages in parallel (English and French)

1st edition (2021): 150 Euro

ISBN: 978-2953886832

Reviews and reader reactions: see bottom of page

Franz Schubert - 39 Songs with Guitar Accompaniment

by Franz Schubert and Franz von Schlechta, edited by Stefan Hackl

192 pages, hardcover; large format                                

2 languages in parallel (German, English)

1st edition (2014): 80 Euro / ISBN: 978-2953886818


Reviews and reader reactions: see bottom of page

A Royal Gift -

Marie-Louise and the Guitar

An article by Erik Pierre Hofmann.

This is the version in English of the article first published in issue n°177 of the Italian magazine Il Fronimo (2017).

Presented exclusively by Les Éditions des Robins, in PDF-format only. Printing or selling this publication is strictly prohibited.

Une élégante guitare parisienne, fabriquée à Mirecourt

An article by Erik Pierre Hofmann.

Click below the title page opposite for a free PDF-version of this article (in French only). It was written for the "Musée de la lutherie et de l'archèterie françaises" (Mirecourt) during the process of the instrument's acquisition by the Museum.

Presented exclusively by Éditions des Robins, in PDF-format only. Printing or selling this publication is strictly prohibited.

The Marriage of Pierre René Parinaud  dit Lacote

An article by Catherine Marlat.

This piece gives a first glimpse of the research carried out by Bruno et Catherine Marlat for over thirty years on the most important French guitar maker of the 19th century. Click below the title page opposite for a free PDF-version of this article.

Presented exclusively by Éditions des Robins, in PDF-format only. Printing or selling this publication is strictly prohibited.

Franz Fink (1790-1872) - A Disciple of Johann Georg Stauffer and the First Professional Stringed Musical Instrument Maker in Zagreb

An article by Jadran Jeić.

Presented exclusively by Les Éditions des Robins, in PDF-format only. Printing or selling this publication is strictly prohibited.

Stauffer & Co. - The Viennese Guitar of the 19th Century

by Erik Pierre Hofmann, Pascal Mougin and Stefan Hackl

320 pages, linen hardcover with dust jacket, extra-large format

3 languages in parallel (French, German, English)

1st edition (2012): 195 Euro / ISBN: 978-2953886801

Reviews and reader reactions: see bottom of page


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