Chris - I'd love to read the Ladnier book, but since it's not a Border's thing that's returnable, for me the risk is too great, financially. True, I was quite pleasantly surprised by the Monk book, but the chances of lightning striking twice in this way are....slim. I'm sure the Ladnier book is well-researched and nicely produced. I just have too many books that sit on the shelf as great collections of detail that remain collections of detail.
If the book were more reasonably priced I would jump on it. To me, it's a little beyond reach.
and I basically agree with Steve - interpretation by itself is not necessarily a good thing. It requires certain levels of judgment and discernment. Obviously I was not discarding that requirement - it's the difference between, say, Leslie Gourse and Chris Albertson.
but to just accept the facts because it's safer is not acceptable to me - because they don't mean anything without a guiding intellect to organize and interpret - and it's possible the Ladnier book fits this criterion - but I won't find out, at that price.
and it's interesting because I JUST returned a book, call The King Of Queen City (about King Records) because of that very reason - the writer did his research but had no personal sense of how to evaluate it or integrate it intellectually. So it's like a grocery list rather than a book.