David Wiles is Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London. His previous publications have mainly been in the field of Elizabethan and Greek theatre, including Shakespeare's Clown: Actor and Text in the Elizabethan Playhouse (Cambridge, 1987) and Greek Theatre Performance (Cambridge, 2000). This is his seventh book.

'… the range of his study promises that most readers will discover surprising connections and contrasts between the theatre of their period and others … an inspiring read for the theatre practitioner as well as a crucial reference for the scholar of theatre or cultural anthropology … Theatres and Encyclopedias is well worth reading, whether one is a scholar of print and theatre history, early modern drama and literature, or the general etiology of western culture.' Rebecca Nesvet, English

• Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; 1. Introduction; 2. Sacred space; 3. Processional space; 4. Public space; 5. Sympotic space; 6. The cosmic circle; 7. The cave; 8. The empty space; Select bibliography; Index.

David Wiles is Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London. His previous publications have mainly been in the field of Elizabethan and Greek theatre, including Shakespeare's Clown: Actor and Text in the Elizabethan Playhouse (Cambridge, 1987) and Greek Theatre Performance (Cambridge, 2000). This is his seventh book.

'… the range of his study promises that most readers will discover surprising connections and contrasts between the theatre of their period and others … an inspiring read for the theatre practitioner as well as a crucial reference for the scholar of theatre or cultural anthropology … Theatres and Encyclopedias is well worth reading, whether one is a scholar of print and theatre history, early modern drama and literature, or the general etiology of western culture.' Rebecca Nesvet, English

• Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; 1. Introduction; 2. Sacred space; 3. Processional space; 4. Public space; 5. Sympotic space; 6. The cosmic circle; 7. The cave; 8. The empty space; Select bibliography; Index.

David Wiles is Professor of Theatre at Royal Holloway University of London. His previous publications have mainly been in the field of Elizabethan and Greek theatre, including Shakespeare's Clown: Actor and Text in the Elizabethan Playhouse (Cambridge, 1987) and Greek Theatre Performance (Cambridge, 2000). This is his seventh book.

'… the range of his study promises that most readers will discover surprising connections and contrasts between the theatre of their period and others … an inspiring read for the theatre practitioner as well as a crucial reference for the scholar of theatre or cultural anthropology … Theatres and Encyclopedias is well worth reading, whether one is a scholar of print and theatre history, early modern drama and literature, or the general etiology of western culture.' Rebecca Nesvet, English

• Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; 1. Introduction; 2. Sacred space; 3. Processional space; 4. Public space; 5. Sympotic space; 6. The cosmic circle; 7. The cave; 8. The empty space; Select bibliography; Index.