This book represents the first comprehensive scholarly study of F. W. Ferling's (1796-1874) "48 Studies for Oboe." It provides information on Ferling as a performer and composer, a detailed description of all his known compositions, and emphasizes the significance of the 48 Studies in modern instrumental training. The author situates the piece within the historical evolution of nineteenth-century didactic works, explores its key editions, identifies its initial publisher, and specifies the date of its original publication. The critical edition and report are followed by a discussion on several performance-practice issues, drawing from both modern scholarship and nineteenth-century pedagogical material. This book is tailored for performers, teachers, students, and scholars. By melding a scholarly editorial approach with a performer's insight, the author offers a captivating critical perspective on the Studies. Particularly intriguing are the questions raised about whether (and which) didactic material might be performed and the potential tensions between a historically-informed approach to performance practice and the pedagogic value of such compositions.