The accompanying catalog to the 2008 Cremona exhibition of the same title. Giovanni Vigo, Carlo Chiesa, Duane Rosengard and Andrew Ryan contribute technical, social, and familial histories to paint a fascinating picture of these tumultuous and important years during which the three families of Stradivari, Guarneri, and Bergonzi were at remarkably different phases of their respective dynasties. High-quality photographs illustrate instructive examples accompanied by technical measurements.