During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, North American guitarists showed great interest in the compositions of European guitar composers. The guitar works of J. K. Mertz (1806-1856) were clearly favored among the American virtuosi at that time as confirmed in concert programs, in correspondence, and in the numerous American fretted instrument journals, such as Cadenza, Crescendo, S. S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal, and Etude. This study provides a detailed survey of these sources, as well as collections, archival materials, and manuscripts pertaining to Mertz during this period.

Information concerning the life and works of J. K. Mertz and his reception in Europe is followed by an introduction to the guitar in America and an assessment of the stature of Mertz's music in America at the time. Subsequent chapters provide new biographical data for prominent American guitarists including Charles J. Dorn, Arling Shaeffer, Walter Vreeland, C. D. Schettler, C. F. Elzear Fiset, Jennie M. Durkee, Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, William Foden, George C. Krick, J. M. and Gertrude Miller, and Carl W. F. Jansen. Chapters 11-13 chronicle the pertinent activities of these guitarists that resulted in the preservation of significant manuscript copies of Mertz's works.

Manuscript copies of three previously lost concert works by Mertz preserved in American collections are described. Further topics included are Mertz in American pedagogical writings, the dissemination of his music, and associations between American and European guitarists. The conclusion discusses the introduction of the music of Tárrega and his followers to American guitarists.