Editing Real Book (section)

{{Short description|Compilation of lead sheets}}
{{Italic title}}
{{about|the publication|the album by Steve Swallow|Real Book (album)}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2018}}

The '''''Real Book''''' is a musicians' [[fake book]] – a compilation of [[lead sheet]]s for [[jazz standard]]s. Fake books had been around at least since the late 1920s, but their organization was haphazard, and their content did not always keep pace with contemporary musical styles. The ''Real Book'' was initially produced by two students at the [[Berklee College of Music]] in the 1970s, as an updated fake book.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Metheny |first1=Pat |title=The Pat Metheny Real Book: C instruments |publisher=Hal Leonard |location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin |isbn=978-1480350595 |edition=Artist}}</ref> It became so popular that the book was eventually "legitimized" by publisher [[Hal Leonard]], and re-released in a series of editions and transpositions for various instruments.