In order to gain access to rebetiko music (or, more generally, the underworld), I had to understand the slang. We do not have a slang dictionary. I was compelled to write a slang dictionary. We know almost nothing about the capandaires of Istanbul; not even their linguistic idiom. I was obliged to study Turkology.

There are no books on the development of our states. I was forced to compile a dossier on the social topography and urban planning of our country. I can continue like this indefinitely. The Prolegomena do not allow for healing.

I am reissuing the "Rebetika Songs" while preserving and enriching the old three-part classification of the material: introduction / anthology / illustration. My recent ideas on rebetiko music will be published in another separate book. It will be called "Para-rebetology".

[Excerpt from the text of the preface]