You can get a copy of the original version of the thesis, on paper or in microform, from the British Library via their web-site; but it's expensive, the pictures are photocopies of photocopies, it was done on a manual typewriter and isn't specially nice to read, and it hasn't been updated since 1976. I recommend that you read it here, and anything you want on paper you can print out as and when you want it. There's a comparison of the two versions below.

There's also a readable overview in The New Grove's Dictionary of Music & Musicians, 1976, article 'Dulcimer' , which many libraries have in their reference departments, and which is accessible on-line

I'm also working on a DVD version, which will include recordings of the players I met in the 1970s, both music and interviews. When it's ready, it'll be announced here - though it may not be specially soon; you can also e-mail me if you'd like me to let you know when it's ready.

Comparison of the paper version and the www version

paper version		www-version
you can read it wherever you can carry it but 700 pages isn't very portable	portability	you need a computer with an internet connection to start with you can only read it where the computer is of course a laptop computer is as portable as a book and you can print out anything you want on paper
it's quite expensive $55 for microfilm/fiche $90 for softcover paper $150 for hardcover paper (2 volumes)	price	it should cost nothing to read it if you want paper copies, you have control over the cost, because you choose how much you print, and when
not good (photocopies of photocopies)	photo quality	good, rescanned from originals
typed, with uneven spacing and handwritten corrections	text	made by the computer, much more readable and even
typewriter's Courier	font	reader-friendly Verdana
1976	latest update	2003
it's as complete as it was in 1976 it'll never be updated	completeness	about two-thirds of it is available so far living traditions British Isles Eastern Europe the Santur area Central Asia The Far East The Pacific Region history to 1600 you have to wait a bit for the rest, hopefully it will all be there before the end of 2003, and updated with many references I've discovered since then, and links to other www-sites
continuous - topics follow on one after the other	page layout	reader-friendly - one topic on one page
a bit clumsy, looking for one topic in 700 paper pages index; detailed contents pages	navigating	elegant, everything is clickable icons for quick recognition
only in English	text	you can use a free www service to translate any pages which look specially interesting of course it's a computer which does the translation word for word, so it can be nonsense, but it's usually good enough to tell you if the content is interesting enough to get a proper translation
www.bl.uk/services/document/brittheses.html David Kettlewell The Dulcimer PhD thesis Loughborough University 1976	order/access	www.NewRenaissance.ibs.ee/dulcimer