The unrivaled single-volume survey of Wagner's life and work Edited by one of the leading Wagner scholars of modern times, and with contributions from seventeen experts from around the world, The Wagner Compendium is the key to a complete understanding of the composer― the most comprehensive, informative and well-organized guide to his life and times.
Amazingly comprehensive. Wagner's work is examined in a myriad of ways by a highly qualified set of authors.
I read it end to end during a Wagner marathon, but this is probably not the best approach. My recommendation is that the reader should look through the list of topics and choose according to interest.
Inevitably, I regard some authors as better than others and one detects occasionally excessive self-reference, but neither of these points tempts me to cut back from 5*.