Reggie Redivivus: Roger Allen welcomes back a judicious, well-researched biography of Goodall

The Genius of Valhalla, John Lucas’s biography of the conductor Reginald Goodall, was first published by Julia MacRae Books in 1993 as Reggie: The Life of Reginald Goodall, and is now reissued in paperback format in the wake of an event celebrating Goodall’s achievements held at the London Coliseum in November 2008. This reissue is welcome: interest in Goodall continues to grow with the increasing availability of recorded performances and there is a need for an accessible biography.