How to Write a Play: The Principles of Play Construction Applied to Creative Writing and to the Understanding of Human Motives

Egri, Lajos

Published by Simon and Schuster, New York, 1942

[nice clean book with minimal wear to the extremities, light age-toning to fore-edge, one-time owner's name on front endpaper; the jacket is worn, with some shallow chipping along the top edge, various small nicks and tiny tears along the bottom edge, diagonal creases at the top corner of the front flap and the bottom corner of the rear flap, and moderate soiling and surface wear]. The very uncommon first edition of what went on to become one of the most widely read and influential books on its subject, presenting (to quote the cover blurb of a later paperback edition) "a direct, jargon-free approach to the problem of achieving truth in writing." (The book is better known by the title of its revised (1946) edition, under which it remains in print to this day: "The Art of Dramatic Writing.") Theatrical producer Gilbert Miller correctly prophesied its longevity and influence in his Introduction, in which he ranked it alongside such classics as Thorstein Veblen's "The Theory of the Leisure Class," and observed that these books, "in addition to casting floodlights into the hitherto dark corners of their respective fields, illuminate so much neighboring terrain, open up windows on so many other provinces of life, that they take some time in the evaluation. Time, I am certain, will deal handsomely" with Mr. Egri's book. The Hungarian-born author (1889-1967), who immigrated to the U.S. in 1906, never achieved broad success as a playwright (there are no Broadway hits or perennially-revived classics in his resume), but was widely renowned and respected as a teacher, first in New York and later in Los Angeles. According to the New York Public Library's scope and content note for his papers: "Beginning in 1935, Egri offered writing courses through one-day seminars and conferences as well as through the Egri School of Writing, based out of his home in Manhattan. In these courses, he provided commentary on students' works-in-progress and guided analysis of other dramatic works based on the principles set forth in his books. Throughout his private teaching career, Egri continued writing plays, poetry, short fiction, and essays on the fundamentals of dramatic writing." He published a companion volume of sorts, "The Art of Creative Writing," in 1965. Seller Inventory # 28144

Bibliographic Details

Title: How to Write a Play: The Principles of Play ...
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, New York
Publication Date: 1942
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Near Fine
Dust Jacket Condition: Good dj
Edition: First Edition.