From http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-33676.html?s=b9083a5164cafc325bca596b49575df8 In addition to the aforementioned "overview" type books, there are some very good supplemental texts which will help you round out your coverage. These books cover territory largely neglected in the other books. (These are in no particular order) Anatomy of the Orchestra, by Norman Del Mar Style and Orchestration, by Gardner Read Thesarus of Orchestral Devices, by Gardner Read History of Orchestration, by Adam Carse The Technique of Contemporary Orchestration, by Alfredo Casella Writing for Orchestra, by Merton Shatzkin Creative Orchestration, by Frederick McKay Scoring for Harp, by Stanley Chaloupka How to Write for Percussion, by Samuel Z. Solomon Scoring for Band, by Philip J. Lang Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra Oxford Companion to Musical Instruments, by Anthony Baines Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics, by Arthur H. Benade But the best one of all, is Daphnes and Chloe, by Maurice Ravel. ;)