From 1880 to 1956, when John Osborne transformed the British theater world with Look Back in Anger, British playwrights made numerous lasting contributions and provided a foundation for the innovations of dramatists during the latter half of the 20th century. This reference profiles the life and work of some 40 British playwrights active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom are also known for their work as novelists and poets. Included are figures such as W. H. Auden, Max Beerbohm, Noel Coward, T. S. Eliot, John Galsworthy, Graham Greene, D. H. Lawrence, W. Somerset Maugham, George Bernard Shaw, and Oscar Wilde. Each entry provides a biographical overview; a list of major plays and summaries of their critical reception; a list of minor plays, adaptations, and productions; an assessment of the playwright's career; and archival and bibliographical information.Included in this reference book are alphabetically arranged entries for some 40 British playwrights active from 1880 through 1956. Entries are written by expert contributors, with each entry providing a biographical overview; a list of major plays, premieres, and significant revivals, along with a summary of the critical reception of these works; a listing of additional plays, adaptations, and productions; an assessment of the playwright's career and contributions, with reference to published evaluations in magazines, journals, dissertations, and books; a listing of locations housing unpublished archival material, if available; a selected bibliography of the dramatist's published plays and of essays and articles by the playwright on aspects of the theater; a selected bibliography of secondary sources; and, when available, a listing of previously published bibliographies on the playwright.

Preface by Katherine E. Kelly and William W. DemastesWilliam Archer (1856-1924) by Vincent F. PetronellaW. H. Auden (1907-1973) by Jane Seay HaspelSir James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) by Valerie C. RudolphSir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) by Colette LindrothGordon Bottomley (1874-1948) by Ronald E. ShieldsJames Bridie (Osborne Henry Mavor) (1888-1951) by Colette LindrothHarold Brighouse (1882-1958) by Libby SmigelNoel Coward (1899-1973) by Sarah DuerdenClemence Dane (Winifred Ashton) (1887-1965) by Janice OliverT. S. Eliot (1888-1965) by Randy MalamudChristopher Fry (1907- ) by Jackie TuckerJohn Galsworthy (1867-1933) by Lue Morgan DouthitW. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) by Mary LindrothHarley Granville-Barker (1877-1946) by James FisherGraham Greene (1904-1991) by Lawrence JasperCicely Hamilton (1872-1952) by Sue ThomasSt. John Hankin (1869-1909) by Ted BainW. Stanley Houghton (1881-1913) by Ted BainLaurence Housman (1865-1959) by Pamela MonacoHenry Arthur Jones (1851-1929) by Colette LindrothD. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) by Robert WilcherJohn Masefield (1878-1967) by Ronald E. ShieldsW. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) by Robert F. GrossAllan Monkhouse (1858-1936) by Libby SmigelArthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934) by Arthur GewirtzJ. B. Priestley (1894-1984) by Lincoln KonkleTerence Rattigan (1911-1977) by Robert F. GrossElizabeth Robins (1862-1952) by Katherine E. KellyGeorge Bernard Shaw by Tramble T. TurnerR. C. Sherriff (1896-1975) by Mark A. GravesAlfred Sutro (1863-1933) by Arthur GewirtzOscar Wilde (1854-1900) by Elizabeth M. Richmond-GarzaSelected BibliographyIndex of NamesIndex of Titles