Welcome news for opera lovers is this third volume of Ernest Newman's series (More Stories of Famous Operas and The Wagner Operas being the other two-thirds of the trilogy) which covers seventeen operas: Salome, La Boheme, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Fig Tosca, Fidelio, Don Giovanni, The Tales of Hoffman, Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Der Freischutz, La Traviataz, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, Aida, Otello and The Magic Flute. The stories of the operas, their source, the adaptation by librettists when done and the musical application by the composer are commented upon. The result is a stimulating and encouraging treat for opera-goers who want to know what it's all about.