Project Gutenberg 2005-02-22 Public domain in the USA. 644 Cook, Dutton 1829 1883 Cook, Edward Dutton A Book of the Play Studies and Illustrations of Histrionic Story, Life, and Character Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Riikka Talonpoika and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "A Book of the Play" by Dutton Cook is a collection of studies and illustrations relating to theatrical life and history, written in the late 19th century. This work delves into various aspects of the British Theatre, recounting details and curiosities that are often overlooked by more traditional historians of the stage. It aims to entertain and educate those interested in the intricacies of playwriting, performance, and the societal impacts of theatre throughout history. The opening of the book presents a reflective overview of the playgoing experience, tracing the evolution of audiences and their perceptions of theatre from its origins with early players like Thespis to the attitudes of contemporary theatre-goers. Cook discusses the nostalgia of older audiences who often lament a perceived decline in theatrical quality, contrasted with the enthusiasm of youth who are enthralled by the magic of performance. Through anecdotes and historical references, he explores the relationship between audiences and performers, as well as the changing cultural significance of theatre across time. This introduction establishes a foundation for the subsequent chapters, which promise to provide further insight into various facets of theatrical practice and history. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 54.9 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Theater -- Great Britain -- History PN Text Category: Plays/Films/Dramas Category: History - British 975055 2025-07-06T12:39:19.064437 text/html 1000151 2020-12-14T04:53:22 text/html 439684 2025-07-06T12:39:30.827319 application/epub+zip 457223 2025-07-06T12:39:21.668406 application/epub+zip 457223 2025-07-06T12:39:20.167375 application/epub+zip 757622 2025-07-06T12:39:38.007356 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 740733 2025-07-06T12:39:29.733361 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 738168 2022-09-07T20:12:52.921316 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 901396 2025-07-06T12:39:17.876412 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 901125 2020-12-14T04:53:22 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 901147 2020-12-14T04:53:22 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21156 2025-07-06T12:39:38.154301 application/rdf+xml 11183 2025-07-06T12:39:20.719365 image/jpeg 3177 2025-07-06T12:39:20.455372 image/jpeg 353692 2020-12-14T04:53:22 application/octet-stream application/zip 369889 2020-12-14T04:53:22 application/octet-stream application/zip 353407 2020-12-14T04:53:22 application/octet-stream application/zip 426020 2025-07-06T12:39:19.138391 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia