It would be difficult to encapsulate the impressive and exhaustive work that is musician-author Stephen Wade's "The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience" (University of Illinois Press, $24.95, 477 pp.)

You'd best let Wade do so himself, 8 p.m. Nov. 17, Godfrey Daniels, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, when he performs selections from the CD that accompanies the book, as well as those from his latest CD, "Banjo Diary: Lessons from Tradition."

The elegantly-designed book, which contains some 50 evocative and historic photos, has been drawing rave reviews including this from The Wall Street Journal: "A masterpiece of humane scholarship."

Wade has only performed a concert based on his just-published book (already in it second printing) once before. Prior to Godfrey's, he'll perform it in Princeton, N.J., and afterwards in Philadelphia.

"What I'm going to do is tell the back story about the book. We will play our own interpretations of the songs and some new songs from my new album," Wade says, noting that at Godfrey's he will also screen about 200 images from the book project.

Expected to perform with him at Godfrey's are long-time music collaborators Mike Craver, Danny Knicely, James Leva and Zan McLeod.

Wade has previously performed at Godfrey's and encouraged Dave Fry to co-found the venue. Wade also performed at the former Pennsylvania Stage Company, Allentown.

Wade spent no fewer than 18 years researching, writing and editing the book, which weighs in at three pounds and includes about 100 pages of references.

"I've been exposed to these songs since I was a teen," Wade says in a recent telephone interview from his Maryland home.

"This is sort of a lifelong pursuit," says Wade, who presented a paper based on a chapter from his book at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society in New Orleans.

"It was clear in the method that I was going to visit and research it was obvious that it wouldn't fit within the perimeter of a jewel box [CD package]," Wade chuckles.

"The way to tell the story had to go beyond the confines of the library [Library of Congress] and the collectors to the players themselves and to the communities. In that sense, it echoed what I had already done," says Wade, who produced and annotated the 1997 Rounder Records collection that gave rise to the book.

Wade chose 30 songs for the 1997 album. He visited the locations of the recordings.

"Implicit in the [book] title is that folklore has infinite variety. It's not simply songs or log cabins or rituals around the dining room table. It's many things. This dimension is in many parts of our lives. It's not regulated by law. It's enormously variable."

Wade said completing the book was daunting.

"I never really knew until the end what I had. There was a time when I'd turn to my wife [Michaelle, to whom he dedicates the book], and say, 'I'm lost.' And she'd say, "You'll find it."'

That he did.