From Library Journal
Taken as a set, these two new volumes supplement British Playwrights, 1956-1995 (Greenwood, 1996), edited by Demastes (English, Louisiana State Univ.), to form an excellent critical overview of regional drama in this century. The British edition features ten to 15-page essays on 40 writers active during the period, both famous (Auden) and forgotten (William Archer). The uniformly well-written essays each include biographical data, summaries of the critical reception of all works, assessments of the playwrights' careers, primary and secondary bibliographies, and the housings of unpublished archival material. Generally, this is a welcome addition to literature and theatrical collections that already own Stanley Weintraub's two-volume Modern British Dramatists, 1900-1945 (Gale, 1982). The Irish volume parallels the British one in format and quality, covering 32 major and minor playwrights throughout the century. Librarians should note, however, that essays on Wilde and Bernard Shaw appear in both sets, although by different authors who each offer useful information and assessments. Whereas 18 of these writers are lumped together in either the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) 10 (the Weintraub work cited above) or DLB 13 (Weintraub's British Dramatists Since World War II, Gale, 1982), another 14 have yet to appear in any DLB series. As there is no comparable current volume in print specifically on Irish playwrights, Irish Playwrights, 1880-1995 would make a first-rate addition for all collections. Both volumes under review are highly recommended.?Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Taken as a set, [British Playwrights, 1880-1956 and Irish Playwrights, 1880-1995] supplement British Playwrights, 1956-1995 to form an excellent critical overview of regional drama in this century. The uniformly well-written essays each include biographical data, summaries of the critical reception of all works, assessments of the playwrights' careers, primary and secondary bibliographies, and the housings of unpublished archival material....[T]his is a welcome addition to literature and theatrical collections...highly recommended.Library Journal

Book Description
From 1880 to 1956, when John Osborne transformed the British theater world with Look Back in Anger, British playwrights made numerous lasting contributions and provided a foundation for the innovations of dramatists during the latter half of the 20th century. This reference profiles the life and work of some 40 British playwrights active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom are also known for their work as novelists and poets. Included are figures such as W. H. Auden, Max Beerbohm, Noel Coward, T. S. Eliot, John Galsworthy, Graham Greene, D. H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde. Each entry provides a biographical overview; a list of major plays and summaries of their critical reception; a list of minor plays, adaptations, and productions; an assessment of the playwright's career; and archival and bibliographical information.

From the Publisher
The biographical sketches, descriptions of theatrical reception, and assessments of playwrights' careers are very informative, and the sections on archival sources are welcome....recommmended for college and university libraries.

About the Author
WILLIAM W. DEMASTES is Professor of English at Louisiana State University.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From 1880 to 1956, when John Osborne transformed the British theater world with Look Back in Anger, British playwrights made numerous lasting contributions and provided a foundation for the innovations of dramatists during the latter half of the 20th century. This reference profiles the life and work of some 40 British playwrights active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom are also known for their work as novelists and poets. Included are figures such as W. H. Auden, Max Beerbohm, Noel Coward, T. S. Eliot, John Galsworthy, Graham Greene, D. H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde. Each entry provides a biographical overview; a list of major plays and summaries of their critical reception; a list of minor plays, adaptations, and productions; an assessment of the playwright's career; and archival and bibliographical information.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Taken as a set, these two new volumes supplement British Playwrights, 1956-1995 (Greenwood, 1996), edited by Demastes (English, Louisiana State Univ.), to form an excellent critical overview of regional drama in this century. The British edition features ten to 15-page essays on 40 writers active during the period, both famous (Auden) and forgotten (William Archer). The uniformly well-written essays each include biographical data, summaries of the critical reception of all works, assessments of the playwrights' careers, primary and secondary bibliographies, and the housings of unpublished archival material. Generally, this is a welcome addition to literature and theatrical collections that already own Stanley Weintraub's two-volume Modern British Dramatists, 1900-1945 (Gale, 1982). The Irish volume parallels the British one in format and quality, covering 32 major and minor playwrights throughout the century. Librarians should note, however, that essays on Wilde and Bernard Shaw appear in both sets, although by different authors who each offer useful information and assessments. Whereas 18 of these writers are lumped together in either the Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB) 10 (the Weintraub work cited above) or DLB 13 (Weintraub's British Dramatists Since World War II, Gale, 1982), another 14 have yet to appear in any DLB series. As there is no comparable current volume in print specifically on Irish playwrights, Irish Playwrights, 1880-1995 would make a first-rate addition for all collections. Both volumes under review are highly recommended.-Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., Tex.

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