Product Description: In 1948 a sixteen-year-old boy and girl meet briefly, but fatally, on a beach. The boy is so stricken by the girl that he writes her, begging her to answer. “What harm can come from writing letters?" he asks.

This epic family biography begins in the 1860s with Louisa Drew, the greatest comedienne of her time, mother of the brilliant Georgiana Drew Barrymore and mother-in-law of the vaudeville star and matinee idol Maurice Barrymore. But it is the children of Georgie and Maurice who are the heart of the book: Ethel, Lionel, and John, the most extraordinary members of an extraordinary family. We see Ethel's sensational social and stage debuts in London and on Broadway; her struggle with alcohol, debt, and damaged reputation; and her spectacular comeback in The Corn is Green. We see John's vault to fame in Shakespearean stage roles and his triumphant move to the screen before succumbing to the ''Barrymore curse'' of addiction to alcohol. And we see the steadier Lionel pursuing his talents in painting and composing before finally capitulating to the family tradition. We see both the price and the privileges of their extraordinary fame; and finally, with the death of Ethel, the decline of America's first family of acting.

A portrait of the celebrated acting duo describes their paradoxical on-stage symmetry and off-stage brawls, the latter of which inspired the musical, Kiss Me Kate, discussing the complexities of their relationship and their most notable stage achievements. 20,000 first printing.

A biography of America's foremost theatrical family depicts their careers from triumphs on the stage to their ventures in the new and unexplored medium of film, and demonstrates how the transition from stage to film affected their acting and their lives

An intriguing portrait of the noted poet, essayist, novelist, and diarist traces the life of May Sarton, detailing her childhood in Belgium, her theatrical and literary careers, and her frequently troubled relationships with friends, colleagues, and lovers. 20,000 first printing.

Authorized by Sarton's estate, the first biography of the novelist, poet, and feminist makes use of her papers and diaries to trace her pursuit of literary achievement, her relationships with famous colleagues, and her evolving sexuality. Reprint. K.

Product Description: Important biography of this great author.

Profiles the inimitable Mrs. Patrick Campbell, an eccentric, flamboyant, and brilliant actress, one of the first of the Victorian 'actress-managers,' in a full-length biography richly illustrated with family photographs