Hollywood on the Tiber is a dazzling blend of the epic and intimate featuring a glittering cast of screen gods and goddesses. This vibrant chronicle recounts how Hank Kaufman and Gene Lerner became unsung movers and shakers of a unique and unrepeatable era: the rise of Rome as the center of Europe's film industry in the 1950s and '60s.

Kaufman and Lerner, partners in both life and work, arrived in Italy from the U.S. in 1953 with little more than courage and intuition, and established a talent agency that became the nerve center for cross-continental co-productions between Italy, Europe and Hollywood. For nearly two decades, they were not just agents and managers but confidants, collaborators and problem-solvers for their world-famous clientele, who shared their professional adventures and successes as well as personal uncertainties and disappointments. Hank and Gene navigated the ambitions and eccentricities of legends Anita Ekberg, Ava Gardner, Anna Magnani and Simone Signoret, they calmed a furious Marlon Brando, faced down domineering Italian producers with an impromptu actors' strike, and struck a secret deal with Charlie Chaplin. Hank went dress shopping with Shelley Winters in Cannes and Gene rushed to the London Savoy to rescue Gardner from a raging George C. Scott. Their work was equal parts diplomacy, ingenuity and sheer nerve.

Written in the late 1970s and now published in English for the first time, this edition features a new foreword by Sandy Lieberson, who worked alongside Kaufman and Lerner in Rome. Hollywood on the Tiber - which features Robert Aldrich, Federico Fellini, Hedy Lamarr, Gina Lollobrigida, Irene Papas, Lee Strasberg and Franco Zeffirelli - is a moving, honest and impassioned treasure trove of anecdotes and insights about the first paparazzi era, offering an unflinching look at the glamour and grit of celebrity and filmmaking. As Gene Lerner explains: Hollywood on the Tiber seemed dazzling, but in reality, it harmed Italian cinema. It depersonalized it by introducing distant and culturally alien models, which contaminated stronger traditions and pushed major Italian producers abroad. I coined the slogan 'Hollywood on the Tiber, ' but I've always denounced its toxins.

At once action-packed, heartfelt and clear-eyed, Hollywood on the Tiber is a compelling portrait of an extraordinary era and the people - innovative and creative, fragile and vulnerable - who defined it.

Juicy showbiz memoir... A breathless collection of intimate anecdotes about A-list clientele, comprising tantrums and trysts... Hollywood on the Tiber has a heady appeal: an insider's view of the business that maintains the lovestruck gaze of a movie fan... it offers all the pleasures of a great party. - Pamela Hutchinson, Sight and Sound

An absorbing and fascinating look back at Rome's Dolce Vita era of the '50s and '60s and at the film folk that made global headlines in those heady, colorful days. - Variety

Affectionate, sincere, and therefore unintentionally ruthless. A vivid mural of successes, grand illusions, personal heartbreak and tragedy. - La Stampa

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet's Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful backstage pass to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show's final night of filming, What's Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show's legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television.

What's Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show's production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.

A richly illustrated journey through the extraordinary cinematic worlds of beloved filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki

A New York Magazine 2021 holiday gift guide pick

For over four decades, Hayao Miyazaki has been enchanting audiences of all ages. His animation, often featuring children navigating unfamiliar and challenging worlds, offer timeless explorations of youth and what it means to grow up. Celebrated and admired around the globe for his artistic vision, craftsmanship and deeply humanistic values, Miyazaki has influenced generations of artists. The universal appeal of his evocative natural settings and complex characters, many among them strong girls and young women, cuts across cultural boundaries.

This book is published on the occasion of the 2021 inaugural exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Studio Ghibli in Tokyo. It accompanies the first ever retrospective dedicated to the legendary filmmaker in North America and introduces hundreds of original production materials, including artworks never before seen outside of Studio Ghibli's archives. Concept sketches, character designs, storyboards, layouts, backgrounds and production cels from his early career through all 11 of his feature films, including My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004), offer insight into Miyazaki's creative process and masterful animation techniques.

Slumber Party Massacre. Pet Sematary. Near Dark. American Psycho -- These horror movies have heavily contributed to pop culture and are loved by horror fans everywhere. But so many others have been forgotten by history. From the first silent reels to modern independent films, in this book you'll discover the creepy, horrible, grotesque, beautiful, wrong, good, and fantastic -- and the one thing they share in common.

This is the true history of women directing horror movies.

Having conducted hundreds of interviews and watched thousands of horror films, Heidi Honeycutt defines the political and cultural forces that shape the way modern horror movies are made by women. The women's rights and civil rights movements, new distribution technology, digital cameras, the destruction of the classic studio system, and the abandonment of the Hays code have significantly impacted women directors and their movies. So, too, social media, modern ideas of gender and racial equality, LGBTQ acceptance, and a new generation of provocative, daring films that take shocking risks in the genre.

Includes short films, anthologies, documentaries, animated horror, horror pornography, pink films, and experimental horror.

I Spit on Your Celluloid is a first-of-its-kind celebration, study, and a book that needed to be written (says cult filmmaker Stephanie Rothman). You will never look at horror movies the same way again!

The rollicking saga of reality television, a sweeping (The Washington Post) cultural history of America's most influential, most divisive artistic phenomenon, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker writer--a must-read for anyone interested in television or popular culture (NPR)

Passionate, exquisitely told . . . With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail . . . [Nussbaum] knits her talents for sharp analysis and telling reportage well.--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)

In development as a docuseries from the studio behind Spencer and Spotlight

ONE OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE AND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe

FINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION

Who invented reality television, the world's most dangerous pop-culture genre? And why can't we look away? In this revelatory, deeply reported account of the rise of dirty documentary--from its contentious roots in radio to the ascent of Donald Trump--Emily Nussbaum unearths the origin story of the genre that ate the world, as told through the lively voices of the people who built it. At once gimlet-eyed and empathetic, Cue the Sun! explores the morally charged, funny, and sometimes tragic consequences of the hunt for something real inside something fake.

In sharp, absorbing prose, Nussbaum traces the jagged fuses of experimentation that exploded with Survivor at the turn of the millennium. She introduces the genre's trickster pioneers, from the icy Allen Funt to the shambolic Chuck Barris; Cops auteur John Langley; cynical Bachelor ringmaster Mike Fleiss; and Jon Murray and Mary-Ellis Bunim, the visionaries behind The Real World--along with dozens of stars from An American Family, The Real World, Big Brother, Survivor, and The Bachelor. We learn about the tools of the trade--like the Frankenbite, a deceptive editor's best friend--and ugly tales of exploitation. But Cue the Sun! also celebrates reality's peculiar power: a jolt of emotion that could never have come from a script.

What happened to the first reality stars, the Louds--and why won't they speak to the couple who filmed them? Which serial killer won on The Dating Game? Nussbaum explores reality TV as a strike-breaker, the queer roots of Bravo, the dark truth behind The Apprentice, and more. A shrewd observer who adores television, Nussbaum is the ideal voice for the first substantive history of the genre that, for better or worse, made America what it is today.

Hollywood on the Tiber is a dazzling blend of the epic and intimate featuring a glittering cast of screen gods and goddesses. This vibrant chronicle recounts how Hank Kaufman and Gene Lerner became unsung movers and shakers of a unique and unrepeatable era: the rise of Rome as the center of Europe's film industry in the 1950s and '60s.

Kaufman and Lerner, partners in both life and work, arrived in Italy from the U.S. in 1953 with little more than courage and intuition, and established a talent agency that became the nerve center for cross-continental co-productions between Italy, Europe and Hollywood. For nearly two decades, they were not just agents and managers but confidants, collaborators and problem-solvers for their world-famous clientele, who shared their professional adventures and successes as well as personal uncertainties and disappointments. Hank and Gene navigated the ambitions and eccentricities of legends Anita Ekberg, Ava Gardner, Anna Magnani and Simone Signoret, they calmed a furious Marlon Brando, faced down domineering Italian producers with an impromptu actors' strike, and struck a secret deal with Charlie Chaplin. Hank went dress shopping with Shelley Winters in Cannes and Gene rushed to the London Savoy to rescue Gardner from a raging George C. Scott. Their work was equal parts diplomacy, ingenuity and sheer nerve.

Written in the late 1970s and now published in English for the first time, this edition features a new foreword by Sandy Lieberson, who worked alongside Kaufman and Lerner in Rome. Hollywood on the Tiber - which features Robert Aldrich, Federico Fellini, Hedy Lamarr, Gina Lollobrigida, Irene Papas, Lee Strasberg and Franco Zeffirelli - is a moving, honest and impassioned treasure trove of anecdotes and insights about the first paparazzi era, offering an unflinching look at the glamour and grit of celebrity and filmmaking. As Gene Lerner explains: Hollywood on the Tiber seemed dazzling, but in reality, it harmed Italian cinema. It depersonalized it by introducing distant and culturally alien models, which contaminated stronger traditions and pushed major Italian producers abroad. I coined the slogan 'Hollywood on the Tiber, ' but I've always denounced its toxins.

At once action-packed, heartfelt and clear-eyed, Hollywood on the Tiber is a compelling portrait of an extraordinary era and the people - innovative and creative, fragile and vulnerable - who defined it.

Juicy showbiz memoir... A breathless collection of intimate anecdotes about A-list clientele, comprising tantrums and trysts... Hollywood on the Tiber has a heady appeal: an insider's view of the business that maintains the lovestruck gaze of a movie fan... it offers all the pleasures of a great party. - Pamela Hutchinson, Sight and Sound

An absorbing and fascinating look back at Rome's Dolce Vita era of the '50s and '60s and at the film folk that made global headlines in those heady, colorful days. - Variety

Affectionate, sincere, and therefore unintentionally ruthless. A vivid mural of successes, grand illusions, personal heartbreak and tragedy. - La Stampa

An incredible book that shares a behind-the-scenes look from our time on set! You're going to love it; Jim shares so many memories that I hold near and dear to my heart. -- Chris Pratt

Filled with hilarious stories and sweet observations, Welcome to Pawnee is a book for any Parks and Rec fan. It's funny and straight from the heart. Jim did a great job of not Jerry-ing this book. -- Amy Poehler

There is no one more qualified to write the definitive Parks & Rec book than the unbelievably hilarious, one-of-a-kind talent we all know & love: Tim--I mean Jim--O'Heir. -- Adam Scott

This book is full of lies. Only the Dark Lord himself knows the truth about Pawnee. Do not trust Jerry. -- Aubrey Plaza

Jim O'Heir, who played Jerry (or Garry or Larry) on Parks and Recreation brings fans a heartfelt look at one of America's most beloved sitcoms, brimming with never-before-told stories featuring the cast and crew, along with dozens of unseen photos!

For seven seasons, Leslie Knope and the Parks and Recreation gang charmed millions of viewers with their quirky antics and unwavering positivity. The sitcom continues to be a fan-favorite for streaming services today, nearly a decade after its finale. Now for the first time, Jim O'Heir, who played the lovable Jerry (or, well, Garry/Larry/Terry/Barry, depending on the episode), invites readers back to Pawnee for an exclusive look behind the scenes.

Joined by his Parks and Rec pals, including Chris Pratt, Retta, Rob Lowe, and showrunners Greg Daniels and Mike Schur, Jim reveals how this little show that could came to be, thanks to the tireless dedication and comedic genius of Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, and the rest of the gang. As the show found its footing, the cast quickly bonded into a tight-knit family. Jim shares all his favorite unforgettable memories both on and off camera, from hilarious unscripted moments and epic dance-offs in the hair and makeup trailers, to iconic birthday parties at Rashida Jones's house and quiet bonfires in Nick Offerman's backyard.

Welcome to Pawnee is a loving tribute to Parks and Recreation, imbued with the same warmth and humor that endeared the show to millions.

Want to learn the improv techniques that helped Mike Myers, Chris Farley, John Belushi, and many others along the road to TV and film stardom? Then let two esteemed founders of long-form improvisational theatre, Del Close and Charna Halpern, teach you the Harold. This groundbreaking acting exercise emphasizes pattern recognition and subversion of the audience's expectations, which are important factors for making people laugh without ever telling a joke. It involves six to seven players and many kinds of scenes: games, monologues, songs, skits and more, all of which are bound to keep both actors and audience members guessing. The Harold is non-linear entertainment that remembers everything and wastes nothing the key to successful improvising and has become a standard in comedy clubs and improv theatres around the globe.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Now in paperback and featuring new material, the definitive guide to telling an unforgettable story in any setting, from the storytelling experts at The Moth

From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.--CNN

LONGLISTED FOR THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD

Over the past twenty-five years, the directors of The Moth have worked with people from all walks of life--including astronauts, hairdressers, rock stars, a retired pickpocket, high school students, and Nobel Prize winners--to develop true personal stories that have moved and delighted live audiences and listeners of The Moth's Peabody Award-winning radio hour and podcast. A leader in the modern storytelling movement, The Moth inspires thousands of people around the globe to share their stories each year.

Now, with How to Tell a Story, The Moth will help you learn how to uncover and craft your own unique stories, like Moth storytellers Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Padma Lakshmi, Darryl DMC McDaniels, Tig Notaro, Boots Riley, Betty Reid Soskin, John Turturro, and more.

Whether your goal is to make it to the Moth stage, deliver the perfect wedding toast, wow clients at a business dinner, give a moving eulogy, ace a job interview, be a hit at parties, change the world, or simply connect more deeply to those around you, stories are essential. Sharing secrets of The Moth's time-honed process and using examples from beloved storytellers, a team of Moth directors will show you how to

- mine your memories for your best stories
- explore structures that will boost the impact of your story
- deliver your stories with confidence
- tailor your stories for any occasion

Now featuring new prompts for engaging storytelling and filled with empowering, easy-to-follow tips for crafting stories that forge lasting bonds with friends, family, and colleagues alike, this book will help you connect authentically with the world around you and unleash the power of story in your life.

The definitive book on animation, from the Academy Award-winning animator behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today--and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his fifty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by Toy Story.

Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators so that they in turn could push the medium in new directions. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator--from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz --needs. Urging his readers to invent but be believable, he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that will become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students, and fans.

From The New York Times's Jeremy Egner, the definitive book on Ted Lasso.

When Ted Lasso first aired in 2020, nobody--including those who had worked on it--knew how a show inspired by an ad, centered around soccer, filled mostly with unknown actors, and led by a wondrously mustachioed nice guy would be received. Eleven Emmys and one Peabody Award later, it's safe to say that the show's status as a pop-culture phenomenon is secure.

In Believe, entertainment journalist and Ted Lasso fan Jeremy Egner traces the show's creation and legacy through the words of the people at its center. Drawing on dozens of interviews from key cast, creators, and more, Believe takes readers from the first, silly NBC Premier League commercial to the pitch to Apple executives, then into the show's writers' room, through the brilliant international casting, and on to the unforgettable set and locations of the show itself.

Brimming with careful reporting and written to match the show's heart and humor, Believe tells a story of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world's increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that maybe simple decency still has the power to bring us together--a story about what happens when you dare to believe.

Welcome to the ultimate TBR list! With meticulously researched book descriptions and hundreds of guided prompts and reading tips, The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge is an officially licensed, one-of-a-kind fan's guide to the Gilmore Girls universe and all 339 books referenced in the series.

For fans of Gilmore Girls, one of the most dedicated ways to tap into the psyche of Rory Gilmore is committing to one Herculean task: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. Over the course of seven seasons, Rory Gilmore and her fellow Stars Hollow residents were seen reading or referencing 339 books. Now you can read along with Rory! This book is a distillation of those zealous inventories and is meant to make you fall back in love with Gilmore Girls all over again. Challenge yourself to reading the 300+ books from the series and exploring hundreds of guided prompts about each selection.

Included in this first-ever officially licensed reading challenge companion are thought starters and prompts pertaining to the books seen, mentioned, and referenced over the series' seven-season run. This compendium has been carefully researched and is more thorough and verified than any other Rory Gilmore reading list that has been compiled. Whether you choose to start from the very beginning or dive into a particular character's literary favorites, you'll find a reading guide within.

You'll also find helpful information for organizing your TBR collection, tips for maximizing your reading time and becoming a more mindful reader, secrets for reading multiple books at once, and an essential episode guide index with checkboxes. And if any part of the challenge feels daunting, take a bit of advice from the bibliophile queen herself: I just take a book with me everywhere, Rory once said. It's a habit.

Picking through the slag heap of the Hollywood dream factory, [Kenneth] Anger has put together a truly prodigious anthology of star-studded scandal.--The New York Times

Welcome to Hollywood. Take a walk down The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, where starlets, sex goddesses, matinee idols, American aristocracy, and Mafia moguls meet. It's a town made manic in its heyday by joy powder and cocaine-crazed comedies, seduced by vamping heroin heroines, shaken by Fatty Arbuckle's orgiastic excesses and Errol Flynn's amoral extravagances, stunned by Marilyn Monroe's tragic suicide and Sharon Tate's brutal murder.

Here, as never revealed before, is the scalding reality behind the glittering façade: the true stories and darkest secrets behind the lurid headlines that have titillated the world and electrified the nation for decades.

A deluxe art book featuring exclusive commentary, sketches, concept art, and paintings detailing the unique architecture in Studio Ghibli's films.

Explore the dazzling animated worlds of Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and more with Studio Ghibli: Architecture in Animation!

Learn how the visionary animation studio brings its vibrant worlds to life through hundreds of pieces of concept art, sketches, and background paintings that illuminate the architectural inspirations of Studio Ghibli's animated classics. Distinctive interiors, imaginative exteriors, breathtaking landscapes, and the interplay between the three are all examined in detail through collected remarks from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, exclusive commentary from renowned architect Terunobu Fujimori, and quotes from the artists and art directors of Studio Ghibli's beloved films.

Readers will learn of the historical, architectural, and personal inspirations behind such iconic and inventive buildings and structures as the bathhouse from Spirited Away, Howl's moving castle, and Satsuki and Mei's country home from My Neighbor Totoro. This book is the perfect gift for all fans of Studio Ghibli's timeless movies.

This book is the translated reprint edition of the catalog for the exhibition Studio Ghibli's Architecture in Animation.

This expanded and revised edition has a new foreword by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, additional advice and tips for success, and a full reproduction of Mick Napier's web journal from his time directing the famous show Paradigm Lost for The Second City that included Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Kevin Dorff. Renowned improv instructor and award-winning director Mick Napier has been at the heart of the professional improvisation community for more than 25 years. The first edition of Improvise. quickly earned its position as necessary reading for improv students across the country and around the world and gave birth to a new generation of performers who questioned The Rules of improvisation. In this entertaining and incredibly informative book, Napier will teach you the essentials of... --Why The Rules don't matter --How to take care of yourself in a scene --Using context to your advantage --Effective two-person scenes --Balanced large-cast scenes --Successful auditioning --Solo exercises you can practice at home

Here's what started the phenomenon: the best seller, for over 15 years, that's been used by screenwriters around the world! Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny and candid look inside the movie business.

Save the Cat! is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying, including: The four elements of every winning logline The seven immutable laws of screenplay physics The 10 genres that every movie ever made can be categorized by -- and why they're important to your script Why your Hero must serve your Idea Mastering the 15 Beats Creating the Perfect Beast by using The Board to map 40 scenes with conflict and emotional change How to get back on track with proven rules for script repair This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a showbiz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat.

The Fantasy Continues

The Art of Spirited Away collects color illustrations of Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) for the first time in an English edition This book includes paintings and designs from the new animated film from the director of Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke.

Large-size, hardcover coffee-table book featuring artwork from the renowned animated film, Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Features commentary, color stills, sketches, storyboards, and illustrations used to envision the rich fantasy world of the film. Also includes a complete English-language script.

Containing more than 2,200 entries from the most current Star Wars film and TV series, discover the vital facts about iconic characters, creatures, locations, vehicles, and technology from a galaxy far, far away....

- This in-depth title reveals comprehensive histories of 1,200 characters, from icons like Lando Calrissian and Leia Organa to lesser-known individuals like Max Rebo and Therm Scissorpunch.
- From terrifying rancors to adorable porgs, learn about more than 100 fascinating creatures.
- Chart your way through the galaxy with more than 275 entries on locations, including Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar and the mystical world between worlds.
- Pick your method of transport from more than 275 vehicles, from the legendary Millennium Falcon to the stylish Naboo N-1 starfighter.
- Get up to speed with the latest technology, including the Mandalorian's beskar armor, Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, and more than 275 other pieces of equipment.

Produced in close collaboration with Lucasfilm, this official title is the most comprehensive reference book of the Star Wars galaxy on the market. Meticulously researched, expertly written, and stunningly illustrated, the Star Wars Encyclopedia is an indispensable guide to that devoted fans and newcomers alike will return to time and again.

First published as Ultimate Star Wars (2015) and Ultimate Star Wars New Edition (2019).

(c) & TM 2024 LUCASFILM LTD.

A five-time Moth GrandSLAM winner and bestselling novelist shows how to tell a great story -- and why doing so matters.

Whether we realize it or not, we are always telling stories. On a first date or job interview, at a sales presentation or therapy appointment, with family or friends, we are constantly narrating events and interpreting emotions and actions. In this compelling book, storyteller extraordinaire Matthew Dicks presents wonderfully straightforward and engaging tips and techniques for constructing, telling, and polishing stories that will hold the attention of your audience (no matter how big or small). He shows that anyone can learn to be an appealing storyteller, that everyone has something storyworthy to express, and, perhaps most important, that the act of creating and telling a tale is a powerful way of understanding and enhancing your own life.

A landmark anthology of the masterpieces of Greek drama, featuring all-new, highly accessible translations of some of the world's most beloved plays, including Agamemnon, Prometheus Bound, Bacchae, Electra, Medea, Antigone, and Oedipus the King

Featuring translations by Emily Wilson, Frank Nisetich, Sarah Ruden, Rachel Kitzinger, Mary Lefkowitz, and James Romm

The great plays of Ancient Greece are among the most enduring and important legacies of the Western world. Not only is the influence of Greek drama palpable in everything from Shakespeare to modern television, the insights contained in Greek tragedy have shaped our perceptions of the nature of human life. Poets, philosophers, and politicians have long borrowed and adapted the ideas and language of Greek drama to help them make sense of their own times.

This exciting curated anthology features a cross section of the most popular--and most widely taught--plays in the Greek canon. Fresh translations into contemporary English breathe new life into the texts while capturing, as faithfully as possible, their original meaning.

This outstanding collection also offers short biographies of the playwrights, enlightening and clarifying introductions to the plays, and helpful annotations at the bottom of each page. Appendices by prominent classicists on such topics as Greek Drama and Politics, The Theater of Dionysus, and Plato and Aristotle on Tragedy give the reader a rich contextual background. A detailed time line of the dramas, as well as a list of adaptations of Greek drama to literature, stage, and film from the time of Seneca to the present, helps chart the history of Greek tragedy and illustrate its influence on our culture from the Roman Empire to the present day.

With a veritable who's who of today's most renowned and distinguished classical translators, The Greek Plays is certain to be the definitive text for years to come.

Praise for The Greek Plays

Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm deftly have gathered strong new translations from Frank Nisetich, Sarah Ruden, Rachel Kitzinger, Emily Wilson, as well as from Mary Lefkowitz and James Romm themselves. There is a freshness and pungency in these new translations that should last a long time. I admire also the introductions to the plays and the biographies and annotations provided. Closing essays by five distinguished classicists--the brilliant Daniel Mendelsohn and the equally skilled David Rosenbloom, Joshua Billings, Mary-Kay Gamel, and Gregory Hays--all enlightened me. This seems to me a helpful light into our gathering darkness.--Harold Bloom