Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 736
•
Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-1-5381-0617-4 • Hardback • September 2017 • $160.00 • (£105.00)
978-1-5381-0618-1 • eBook • September 2017 • $152.00 • (£100.00)
Amnon Kabatchnik, now retired, was a professor of theatre at SUNY Binghamton, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Elmira College. He is the author of the five previous Blood on the Stage volumes: 1900-1925 (Scarecrow Press, 2008), 1925-1950 (Scarecrow Press, 2009), 1950-1975 (Scarecrow Press, 2011), 1975-2000 (Scarecrow Press, 2012), and 480 B.C. to 1600 A.D. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), as well as the author of Sherlock Holmes on the Stage (Scarecrow Press, 2008).
Kabatchnik continues his ‘Blood on the Stage’ series, here focusing on 19th-century plays from the United States and Europe. Extensive synopses, playwright information, and review quotes from the period highlight works of ‘murder, mystery and mayhem.’ The plays are presented in chronological order, and theatrical premieres are examined along with their initial reception and later revivals. Kabatchnik provides succinct profiles of selections such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, Leo Tolstoy’s The Power of Darkness, and Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People, placing them in historical context and considering their importance. The book also highlights adaptations from classical literature, such as Jane Eyre, Dr. Jekylland Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes. Appendixes include a discussion of plays involving poison, trial plays, and classic revenge tragedies. Bibliographical notes at the end of each entry feature reference material for theater historians. Libraries need not own the whole series, as each volume details a different era.
Verdict: This specialty resource offers a window into the theatergoing experience of the time. Recommended for academic libraries and larger public libraries seeking to develop their theater history collections.
— Library Journal
This volume is a completion of a seven-volume series on this topic: theater's scariest and bloodiest plays from the dawn of time to the year 2000. This volume covers the nineteenth century. Fifty-one dramas are described, from Holcroft's A Tale of Mystery (1802) through Gillette's Sherlock Holmes (1899). The author, a retired professor of theater, provides fairly complete historical and plot descriptions of each of the dramas. Six appendixes are included: ‘Lethal Poison,’ ‘Early Trial Plays,’ ‘Classic Revenge Tragedies,’ ‘Arden of Faversham (1592), by Anonymous (England),’ ‘The Witches of John Masefield and Arthur Miller,’ and ‘Modern Versions of 'Jane Eyre.'‘ All of the books in this series would be appropriate for any undergraduate/graduate academic library and for most academic theater programs.
— American Reference Books Annual
Mr. Kabatchnik is truly a master writer and has offered an extraordinary gift to all lovers of theater. His research for this book leaves us in awe. It's hard to imagine you'll find a single source as detailed and thorough as his book. We are truly inspired by his dedication and commitment to the arts!
— Gil Cates, Jr., Executive Director, and Regina Miller, Chief Development Officer, Geffen Playhouse
Kabatchnik provides detailed synopses, background, and fascinating anecdotes for each of the fifty-one plays.
— Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine