I Went Down to St James Infirmary received a solid mention in David Bauer’s [AP] review of Alan Light’s book The Holy or the Broken, based on Leonard Cohen’s song Hallelujah (1984). In his review of that book Bauer says:
“In writing a book on a single song, Light joins a very specific and small category of literature. Other notable examples include Dave Marsh’s book on ‘Louie Louie,’ Robert Harwood's on ‘St. James Infirmary’ and Ted Anthony’s on ‘House of the Rising Sun’ (Anthony is an Associated Press employee).
   “There is always a bigger story to tell. Harwood said that in writing about a song, an author must explain the environment in which the song appeared and how the song grew, changed and metamorphosed.
   “‘That sort of information is more likely to have been discarded when it comes to popular culture than, say, if it was a historic political moment,’ Harwood said. ‘... In the end, though, popular culture is the story of our times.’”

[I Went Down to St James Infirmary] is a fascinating study and anyone who has an interest … in the way songs evolve and are passed along through history will find it an utterly compelling read. This critic confesses to a weakness for this type of book and devoured it with relish over a few days, though it will retain a favourite place in his library and remain a reference for years to come.” — Barry Hammond, Penguin Eggs

… knowing he was wandering into a territory marked with intentionally poor signage and populated by locals with a bad sense of direction, [Robert Harwood] approached the subject with the care, caution and tenacity of an investigative reporter. In the process he learned many interesting things and solved a number of music-history mysteries. — Andrew Lawrence, Community Guitar Resources

REVIEWS
Read the review in Penguin Eggs, Canada’s premier folk, roots, world music magazine.

Read the review from the KW Record and Guelph Mercury.