Originally published during the early part of the twentieth century, the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature were designed to provide concise introductions to a broad range of topics. They were written by experts for the general reader and combined a comprehensive approach to knowledge with an emphasis on accessibility. The Physical Basis of Music by Alex Wood was first published in 1913 and reissued as this second edition in 1925. The text presents an account of the various physical processes intrinsic to the production of music.