This book was written in response to living sounds rather than printed words, but it would never have been written had it not been preceded by two other books: Harald Henrysson's A Jussi Björling Phonography, the second edition of which was published in 1993, and Anna-Lisa Björling and Andrew Farkas's Jussi, which appeared three years later. The former, offering a scrupulously researched and richly annotated listing (recently updated in an online version) of all published and unpublished recordings featuring Jussi Björling as a child and adult, is a primary resource for the present volume, providing most of the factual information about the recordings included here. The writer is equally indebted to Henrysson's translations of many of the Swedish songs sung by Björling and reviews commenting on his early performances. No less invaluable is his complete chronology of the tenor's appearances in opera, recital and concert, which is included in the Phonography and has since been expanded further. Jussi—which has proved an equally inspiring work of reference— is a biography combining the uniquely close perspective offered by the memories of Björling's wife (who heard her husband sing, onstage and off, more than any other person) with the broader scope and historical accuracy guaranteed by Farkas's interviewing and fact-checking. Although she is reticent about the exact circumstances of his death in September 1960, Anna-Lisa's experience as a trained singer makes her an unusually credible commentator on the tenor's artistic progress.