Eugene O'Neill : Complete Plays 1913-1920 (Library of America) (Hardcover)

by Eugene O'Neill (Author) "SCENE-The edge of the Arizona desert; a plain dotted in the foreground with clumps of sagebrush..." (more)
Key Phrases: ole fallar, sailor fallar, gat yob, Miss Gilpin, New York, The Curtain Falls (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
The Library of America is an award-winning, nonprofit program dedicated to publishing America's best and most significant writing in handsome, enduring volumes, featuring authoritative texts. Hailed as "the most important book-publishing project is the nation's history" (Newsweek), this acclaimed series is restoring America's literary heritage in "the finest-looking, longest-lasting edition ever made" (New Republic).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1104 pages
• Publisher: Library of America; First Printing edition (October 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940450488
• ISBN-13: 978-0940450486
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #450,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The development of a writer, February 21, 2000

By	William H. Burke "[e-mail]" (Montclair, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a tremendous source work, providing a sequential study of O'Neill's development as a dramatist. While not all of the plays are particularly successful, they reveal themes and settings that would provide the foundation for the later O'Neill masterworks. And there are many wonderful early dramas, such as the four S.S. Glencairn plays, his first broadway success "Beyond the Horizon," and the daring "Anna Christie," all of which tested and expanded the dramatic form in America. A wonderful collection!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Playwrights, Awake and Sing!, July 23, 2007

By	David Schweizer "Almawood" (Kansas, USA) - See all my reviews

It isn't clear who would be apt to read this volume of early plays by O'Neill. These days, drama departments seem to assign new plays by unknown playwrights, as though the professors were in the pay of the publishers. Why order books by dead writers? These plays, however, are much more useful, I should think, for the aspiring playwright because they are exercises of a young dramatic master in his early stage of apprenticeship. He is learning his craft and writing his way to mastery. They are marvelous models of an immature writer. They are not perfect specimens, not intimidating masterworks, but slight, flawed works that any playwright might feel inspired by. They are awkward, rough, even stale, but each seeks to perform a dramatic task. O'Neill was very conscious of what he sought to do. These are not entertainments. Read them, learn from them, learn not to write this badly, and you'll be on your way.