The Complete Gilbert & Sullivan: Librettos from All Fourteen Operettas (Complete & Unabridged) (Hardcover)

by William Gilbert (Author), W. S. Gilbert (Illustrator), Deems Taylor (Preface), Arthur Sullivan (Composer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
With over 200 line drawings by the author. This ultimate book for the millions of Gilbert & Sullivan fans across the country offers the complete text and lyrics of all the operettas of this most original, creative and much-loved musical team.

Now both veteran and new fans can catch all the nuances of the quick moving wit, satire and wisdom often missed during performances and on recordings.

This book covers all of this dynamic duo's plays including: Thespis, Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Sorcerer, Patience, Utopia, Limited, The Grand Duke, Iolanthe, Princess Ida, The Mikado, Ruddigore, The Yeomen of the Guard and The Gondoliers.

Delightful illustrations by W. S. Gilbert adorn the pages, and an introduction by Deems Taylor brings new insight to the text.

From the Inside Flap
In an age where television and movies seem to be taking over popular culture, the sardonic, playful, intelligent, works of Gibert & Sullivan are a refreshing escape.

The combination of Arthur Sullivan - child prodigy turned noted composer - and William Gilbert - whose career in the military and stint as a barrister predated his true calling as a crafter of caustic wit and dramatic criticism - takes its place in musical theater history alongside creative teams such as Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein, George & Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim. These timeless mainstays of the stage can be found everywhere, from high school auditoriums to professional G&S companies all over the world; now the complete works, including a preface by the famed music critic Deems Taylor and charming illustrations by William Gilbert, are collected here in one volume. Find your favorite passages in classics such as The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, Ruddigore and H.M.S. Pinafore. Or, discover and explore lesser known works: Ida; Utopia, Limited; The Yeoman of the Guard and Iolanthe.

The Fourteen Gilbert & Sullivan Operettas:

Thespis

Trial By Jury

The Sorcerer

H.M.S. Pinafore

The Pirates of Penzance

Patience

Iolanthe

princess Ida

The Mikado

Ruddigore

The Yeoman Of The Guard

The Gondoliers

Utopia, Limited

The Grand Duke

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 711 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (January 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579120377
• ISBN-13: 978-1579120375
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,153,568 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most witty and civilized entertainment ever devised., October 9, 1998

By	Nancy C. Starr "starr54" (Norwalk, CT USA) - See all my reviews

If you are a Savoyard, or even if you know what that means, this jumbo collection is one you will treasure. With a preface by esteemed music critic, Deems Taylor, and illustrations by W. S. Gilbert himself, the complete librettos from all fourteen Gilbert & Sullivan operettas is the perfect companion at a great low price. You'll find yourself humming the Arthur Sullivan melodies as you read "I polished up the handles so carefully," "Let the punishment fit the crime," and "I'm called little Buttercup, Sweet little Buttercup." In one attractive volume are the complete and unabridged texts of "The Mikado," "The Pirates of Penzance, "H.M.S Pinafore," and the eleven other operettas that set a world standard for intelligent musical theatre.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but the Bradley book upstages it., July 21, 2000

By	Yi-Peng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

When I compare this edition of the libretto to the Ian Bradley edition of the collected librettos (Oxford), I find that this has more weak points compared to the Bradley book. Of course, both books suffer from inaccuracies in the libretto, but here is a more serious case. Also, the print of the book is a little bit hard to read, because of its age from many years ago. The Bradley book seems to be easier. Yet even despite these shortcomings I am happy to know that you can still sing along to ANY G&S song in here, or find your favourite passage, be it from MIKADO, PIRATES or PINAFORE, or any other opera. But this book still has two advantages to it - containg the librettist's drawings, and its cheaper price compared to the Bradley book. As well as the libretto for the never-before-heard THESPIS opera. Overall, while I am prepared to recommend this to the true Savoyard, I am not really prepared to recommend this to a beginner, except those who cannot afford to spend more money on the Bradley book. Still, this edition is an easy one with which you can live.