Violet Balestreri Archer is a leading force in contemporary music of North America. One of Canada's most prolific composers, she is also an outspoken advocate of contemporary music. Her career as an educator is exceptional, and she has been untiring in her efforts to persuade composers to write educational pieces for youth and publishers to publish them. Her own music has been performed throughout the world and at international festivals and music congresses.

This bio-bibliography is the first book-length study of Archer. It is comprised of four main parts: a short biography; a complete list of more than 290 compositions, organized by genre, with information on premieres and selected performances; a discography; and a bibliography of writings by and about the composer. All sections are fully cross-referenced and indexed, and appendixes organize the works alphabetically by title and chronologically.