Everything you need to know about plays and playwrights in one handy guide by leading expert Maureen Hughes who has had one of her 8 musicals produced in the West End and teaches musical theater. Covering everything from the top playwrights through the centuries to a comprehensive A-Z listing of plays from around the world. Accessibility is a key selling point with factboxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject.

Everything you need to know about classic literature in one handy guide by lecturer Maureen Hughes. Covering everything from the authors to the plays themselves and their common themes, accessibility is a key selling point with factboxes highlighting key or curious facts about the subject. Its size makes it the perfect stocking filler for the Christmas market or at anytime of the year for those wanting more information about what theyre reading or studying in a handy, pocket-sized guide.

We were going to call this a Pocket Guide to Noble Scandals but theres nothing noble about these aristocrats. Tales of greed, list, murder and mayhem litter the pages of Andy Hughes must-read book. Whether its gambling away their familys fortune, writing racy poems and shocking decent people, the aristocracy have been at the center of scandals for centuries, abusing their position of power to take advantage of everyone else or kill those who get in their way. This Pocket Guide to Scandals in the Aristocracy is a race through history, divided into eras to introduce the best and worst scurrilous tales from Francis Lovell being bricked up alive in his stately home to the ongoing mystery of Lord Lucan and delicious (but true) gossip which delighted readers when the aristocrats were thinly disguised in the novels of their day. Bring history alive with this fact-filled guide.Youll also love: The Pocket Guide to Royal Scandals and The Pocket Guide to Political Scandals, both by Andy Hughes

A fact-filled reference for discovering, and learning more about, the literary greats of the nineteenth century. The Victorian era produced many famous writers and poets, including Dickens, Thackeray, H.G. Wells, and Tennyson. Magazines like The Strand launched famous creations such as Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, whose cliffhanger stories were told in part-works to add to the excitement. And the poetry was epic—Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur and The Lady of Shalott tapped into the Pre-Raphaelite style so popular in the art of the day. In this guide, Russell James has explored the role of the Victorian writer and their genres, from Dickens’s desire to correct social wrongs and expose poverty to H.G. Wells’s desire to escape the modern world. The responsibility of the Victorian poet is also revealed from romantic declaration and escapism to heroism and historical commemorations—would modern generations know about the Charge of the Light Brigade if Tennyson hadn’t immortalized it? Together with A–Zs of writers and poets, this is a must-read book for everyone who loves good writing and wants to discover more.

A MUST-BUY BOOK for everyone interested in history and the scandalous behaviour of politicians across the world. Andy Hughes' fascinating book guides us through centuries of political abuse - and just plain stupidity. The Profumo Affair is still shocking to modern voters, possibly because the MP actually stepped down after being caught out after sharing his mistress with a Russian spy. This Pocket Guide will expose the secret side of politics, including which politicians risked or ruined their own careers for personal gain. This gripping book includes stories include the MP who liked to party hard and be whipped even harder, the Prime Minister and his hookers, expenses claims for manure and the US President who called for all gay men to be castrated. There is definitely no shortage of scandalous behaviour. In fact, politicians have mixed scandal with eggs, adult movies, helicopters, drugs, shoes, beef burgers, public toilets, mobile phones, rape, turkeys, orgies and even ice cream. You name it and politicians have been mixed up in it somehow. It is not just today's politicians who are embroiled with scandal, as this explosive Pocket Guide to Political Scandals reveals the questionable behaviour of politicians of yesteryear and from around the world; the corruption, dishonesty and like of morals and judgement all come out in the stories in the book. As featured on BBC Three Counties Radio

Each Christmas entire families in the UK troop off to see, what one could almost say is 'the obligatory'. annual entertainment, known as Pantomime. It is a traditional, seasonal way of life for the British envied the world over, and one which only the British seem to understand! Pantomime serves both to entertain and to introduce each new generation to the joys of theatre in the most unique of ways, for this is not a type of theatre one merely watches, but one in which the audience participate – often in the most seemingly boisterous and bizarre of ways. The whole experience is steeped in tradition, traditions which only the British seem to understand, which is probably why we are proud to call it a 'British Experience.'??In A History of Pantomime Maureen Hughes takes a brief look at the history of Pantomime as well as taking a humorous look at some of the above mentioned traditions; she also gives a synopsis of each of the well-known Pantomimes whilst exploring the eccentric world of the characters who appear in them. There is also a short piece on just some of the most well-known and loved of the actors who each Christmas take on the part of Pantomime Dames across the UK, as well as a look at others who have contributed to this magical world of fun and eccentricity. It is thought by some to be frivolous and pointless piece of theatre, but a browse through this informative book and you will soon find that Pantomime is an art form all of its own, requiring the most dedicated and talented of actors/actresses who are prepared to honour and perpetuate this wonderful tradition as it is passed down from one generation to the next.??As seen in The Telegraph and the Sunday Post (Glasgow).

British theatre underwent a vast transformation and expansion in the decades after World War II. This Companion explores the historical, political, and social contexts and conditions that not only allowed it to expand but, crucially, shaped it. Resisting a critical tendency to focus on plays alone, the collection expands understanding of British theatre by illuminating contexts such as funding, unionisation, devolution, immigration, and changes to legislation. Divided into four parts, it guides readers through changing attitudes to theatre-making (acting, directing, writing), theatre sectors (West End, subsidised, Fringe), theatre communities (audiences, Black theatre, queer theatre), and theatre's relationship to the state (government, infrastructure, nationhood). Supplemented by a valuable Chronology and Guide to Further Reading, it presents up-to-date approaches informed by critical race theory, queer studies, audience studies, and archival research to demonstrate important new ways of conceptualising post-war British theatre's history, practices and potential futures.

Find the craic in Dublin with this Berlitz Pocket Guide, a concise, full-colour guide to Ireland's fast-paced capital. It tells you everything you need to know about the best places to visit in the city, from the party district Temple Bar, to the grand boulevard O'Connell Street and the ever-popular Guinness Storehouse. Handy maps on the cover flaps help you find your way around, and are cross-referenced to the text. The guide is full of ideas for enjoying this friendly and vibrant city, with our 10 top attractions in Dublin, such as the world famous Book of Kells, followed by an itinerary for a Perfect Day in the city. The What to Do chapter is a selection of what's on offer in Dublin, including pubs and nightlife, shopping, entertainment, sports and activities for children. The book provides all the essential background on Dublin's culture, including a brief history of Dublin and an Eating Out chapter covering the city's superb range of cuisine. There are carefully chosen listings of the best hotels and restaurants and an A-Z of all the practical information you'll need.

A celebration of Yuletide food through the centuries. This mouthwatering book celebrates classic Christmas stories and their food and feasts. Each chapter covers a different era and the important foodie tales of time, including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Jane Austen’s festive celebrations, and Christmas with Dickens. Claire Hopley rediscovers the joys of literary Christmases and the meals enjoyed by classic characters, including Harry Potter’s Christmas at Hogwarts with its impressive display of food, his first-ever feast after years of being neglected, and the Grinch’s failed attempt to ruin Christmas by stealing the Who-pudding in Dr. Suess’s children’s tale How the Grinch Stole Christmas. With 40 must-try Christmas recipes, including a pork pie inspired by the one Pip gave to Magwitch in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, a Christmas Pudding recipe like those described in Anthony Trollope’s Orley Farm, as well as a turkey curry based on Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, this book is the perfect gift for people who love Christmas, its traditions, and its foods, as well as a must-buy book for foodie booklovers who want to know more about Christmas feasts in their favorite tales.