A Lecture on Heads (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

George Alexander Stevens

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 048406391X ISBN 13: 9780484063913

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

A witty 18th‑century survey of public speaking, performance, and how we read a crowd.

This corrected edition presents George Alexander Stevens’s Lecture on Heads as delivered in theatres and echoed in print. It collects the author’s observations on stage presence, audience perception, and the art of entertaining with humor, song, and satire. Expect a blend of prose, prologues, and verse that illuminate old performance culture—lightly humorous, sharply observant, and rooted in the theatrical world of its time.

Read as both a playful guide and a window into 1780s theatre, the book offers a front-row sense of how performers, critics, and crowds shaped a shared moment on stage. The material moves from practical talk on delivery to entertaining pieces that poke fun at social norms and literary tropes of the era.

• Engaging reflections on performance, delivery, and audience reception
• Examples of verse and songs that accompanied stage lectures
• Notes about how genuine editions were presented and corrected for readers
• Historical context for late 18th‑century theatre and satire

Ideal for readers of theatrical history, satire, and the study of performance, this edition offers both entertainment and insight into the craft behind public speaking.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 048406391X
• ISBN 13: 9780484063913
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 278