J. R. Planche – författare

James Robinson Planché was one of the most prolific and successful of nineteenth-century playwrights. In a career spanning fifty years he wrote over one hundred and eighty pieces of all types, from pantomime and farce to melodrama and opera, for production at a wide range of London theatres. This book offers a representative selection of his most popular plays. It includes one melodrama - The Vampire; or The Bride of the Isles (1820), which represents the first treatment of the vampire theme on the English stage; one farce - The Garrick Fever (1839); three 'fairy' extravaganzas - Beauty and the Beast (1841), Fortunio and his Seven Gifted Servants (1843), and The Discreet Princess; or, The Three Glass Distaffs (1855); one 'classical' extravaganza - The Golden Fleece; or, Jason in Colchis and Medea in Corinth (1845); and one revue of events in contemporary London - The Camp at the Olympic (1853). The volume includes a lengthy introduction which sets the plays in the theatrical context of their time, a chronological record of Planché's life, a complete list of his plays, and a bibliography.

"Beauty and the Beast" is an 1841 play in two acts by J. R. Planche. Based on the 1740 fairy tale by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, this fantastic abridged retelling is perfect for modern stage productions and is not to be missed by fans and lovers of the timeless story. James Robinson Planché (1796 - 1880) was a British antiquary, dramatist, and officer of arms. Over a sixty-year period he produced, collaborated on, or adapted 176 plays over a variety of genres farce, extravaganza, comedy, burletta, opera, and melodrama. Other notable works by this author include: "An Old Fairy Tale - The Sleeping Beauty - Illustrated by Brothers Dalziel" (1865), "Four and Twenty Fairy Tales" (1858), and "Madame de Villeneuve''s Original Beauty and the Beast" (1858). Pook Press celebrates the great ''Golden Age of Illustration'' in children''s literature - a period of unparalleled excellence in book illustration from the 1880s to the 1930s. The collection showcases classic fairy tales, children''s stories, and the work of some of the most celebrated artists, illustrators and authors.