Books by John Osborne

In 1950, St Peter''s College, Saltley celebrated its centenary. The occasion was marked with a number of events, one of which was the publication of this book. A lively mixture of history and anecdote, it not only tells the story of the first hundred years of the College, but also offers something of the flavour of life at a much-loved establishment - the dedication of the staff, the humour of the students, and the sacrifices they all made in pursuit of their chosen profession and the protection of their country.

Archie Rice is a failure as a comedian. News of his son's death while on military service arrives as the family is anticipating his return with a party. Archie tries to stage a comeback for his befuddled, has-been father who, mercifully, dies in the attempt. A prosperous brother offers to send the family to Canada but Archie cannot leave the decaying world of the music hall, where he is at home.-3 women, 5 men

Based on the true story of the last man to stand trial for blasphemy in England, A Subject Of Scandal And Concern was originally written for television in 1960 starring Richard Burton and Rachel Roberts. This production marks the first theatrical staging of the play in over 40 years and its long overdue London premiere.

This third collection of John Osborne's dramatic work includes three classic plays for the stage which confirm his reputation as one of the greatest British playwrights of the twentieth century.

In 1956 John Osborne's Look Back in Anger changed the course of English theatre. This volume includes some of the early plays which launched his career along its startling trajectory, as well as his much later play, Dejavu, which brings us Look Back in Anger's Jimmy Porter thirty-five years on, older and wiser, but no less indignantly eloquent.

The story of a man who preserves his youth while his portrait visibly deteriorates with time.

This second collection of John Osborne's dramatic work includes The Entertainer, The Hotel in Amsterdam, West of Suez and Time Present. 'A lifelong satirist of prigs and puritans, whether of the Right or Left, he took no hostages, expecting from other people the same unyielding, unflinching commitment to their view of the truth which he took for granted in his own. Of all the British playwrights of the twentieth century he is the one who risked the most. And risking most, frequently offered the most rewards.' David Hare, Spectator 'Osborne was an instinctive writer, but he had genius in his early years for capturing the national mood and conveying undiluted feeling... one wonders whether any of the bright new talents will have the courage to do what Osborne did in the past: to encapsulate on the tiny stage the state of the nation at large.' Guardian Praise for The Entertainer 'The rancid, dead-accurate domestic dialogue is a joy, with clichs dropping like bats from the ceiling... the play becomes a flamboyant coronach for England's lost greatness, enshrining one of the great characters in modern drama.' Daily Telegraph 'Like all Osborne's best work, this is a play about personal failure, individual desolation, the frustration of a community. One of the reasons why Osborne changed the face of English theatre is that he made passionate personal drama out of a national malaise.' Sunday Times

John Osbourne answers some difficult questions in Gerhart Hauptmann and the Naturalist Drama, a revised and updated version of his The Naturalist Drama in Germany, now widely acknowledged as the standard introduction to the subject.