Pianist and teacher Rimm discusses eight legendary, enigmatic, and interrelated composer-pianists who created music that stretched the limits of the piano's capabilities, and were also virtuosos whose technique could handle such demanding works. He describes Alkan, Busoni, Feinberg, Godowsky, Medtner, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Sorabji, and their music, music making, ideas, and lives, drawing on their own words for additional insight. He also includes Hamelin, a current top-flight composer-performer who recorded the music of The Eight. The book contains several b&w photographs, listings of the complete solo piano works of the composers, and discographies of their solo piano recordings. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)