Alexander Cumming (1731/2-1814), a Scottish watchmaker, inventor and 'mechanician' carried out experiments on the measurement of air pressure under the patronage of the 3rd Earl of Bute. He also assisted in the construction of barrel and finger organs for the Earl, including a barrel organ for his residence at Highcliffe castle in Dorset. The book describes the organ and includes a complete "Catalogue of the music on the various barrels". This copy comes from the library at Highcliffe and was later owned by the American composer Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975), best known for his work scoring the films of Alfred Hitchcock.