Books by J. B. Priestley

Two comic plays by one of Britain's seminal playwrights, that show another side to the writer of Dangerous Corner and An Inspector Calls.

JB Priestley's dystopian drama, first performed in 1949, is set in the post apocalyptic future - 1975.

Stella Kirby spent nine years running away; leaving home to find her freedom as an actress. Now she has decided that the only role left to play is the prodigal daughter returned, hoping to rediscover herself amongst the familiar surroundings of her childhood home, Eden End.Priestley has a special tenderness for Eden End and for it he created some of his most fragile, gentle characters. The stoical Dr Kirby, his younger son Wilfred, desperate to prove himself a man of the world, and Lilian, the daughter who stayed at home, are a sharply observed and instantly recognisable family, with all its dreams and disappointments.

A quiet, domesticated couple, Fred and Norah, live in a London suburb. They have married later in life than most people and  are devoted to one another. It is Fred's practice to go out for a glass of bitter in the evenings and on this particular occasion, while he is away, Norah has a visitor - a flash-looking young woman, Evie and Norah is faced with a decision difficult to make.|2 women, 3 men

A humorous portrayal of how mothers are treated in a family. It was first performed as a play in 1953.                     |3 women, 2 men

In the drawing room of a house in the country three women are arguing over a man. The man is Colin, and the argument is heated, for one of the women is his mother, another his wife Clare, and the third his mistress Helen. All four allow their tempers to get out of control, and painful truths are told. Colin, a weak man, is on the point of leaving when there is an unexpected interruption. Outside their open windows a film director, the formidable Kramer, has been listening to their arguments and taking notes and insists that they have been indulging in bad theatre and that they must go through their parts again, but with his direction...|4 women, 2 men

An evocation, both funny and sad, of a young man's awakening to the world of love and sex, this title is also a portrait of a life soon to change irrevocably. Set in the world of Music Hall, it offers a snapshot of a fascinating period in theatre history whilst creating a social drama with believable and intriguing characterisation.

Disillusioned scriptwriter Gregory Dawson is holed up in a Cornish hotel writing a script he must finish. A chance encounter in the bar sends him back in time to the doomed world of his youth before the slaughter of The First World War.

JB Priestley''s adaptation of Iris Murdoch''s A Severed Head.|4 women, 3 men

A snowstorm traps a group of guests and crew into the Greenfingers Palace Hotel. A detective is sent to the hotel to investigate a top secret crime, but it is Miss Tracey and new hostess who solve everything.-6 women, 4 men

A British wife, her elderly husband and her lover meet a German professor at an Inn in Yorkshire. His probing questions reveal that they are unhappy and confused. They have played out their scene many times, always ending in suicide and poverty. The professor warns them that they must now break the pattern.2 women, 4 men

Just before dawn the play's characters - who represent every stratum of society - come to the wall overlooking a strange city whose gate is shut against them. At daybreak they are admitted and towards the end of the day some have found it to be the ideal earth has never achieved. So that everyone may know of this attainable perfection two of them make the sacrifice of leaving the city to return to their sinful world. Contained in the volume Priestley Plays II.|5 women, 4 men

George Radfern lives a quiet, uneventful life near London, burdened by sponging relatives and his prospective son-in-law. When George quietly announces he's a leader of a counterfeit ring, the sponges find reasons to leave. His immediate family reacts according to character until it looks as if George has been spoofing them. The ending is one of the most surprising ones ever used in a mystery play. A long time favorite among amateurs.-3 women, 6 men

The classic novel brought to life in full colour. A respectable household is shocked when a strange man visits them shortly after dinner and proceeds to unravel their prejudices and lies.