The Noel Coward Reader - Hardcover

Coward, Noel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0307273377 ISBN 13: 9780307273376

Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc, 2010

Synopsis

Noël Coward said, “The only thing that really saddens me over my demise is that I shall not be here to read the nonsense that will be written about me and my works and my motives . . . There will be lists of apocryphal jokes I never made and gleeful misquotations of words I never said. What a pity I shan’t be here to enjoy them!”

Here is a book that Noël Coward did write; jokes he did make . . . No gleeful misquotations here . . . only the best of Coward’s best.

Barry Day, editor of the acclaimed Letters of Noël Coward, who knows more about Coward and his writing than almost anyone, has brought together in one volume a Coward reader any Coward reader—or Coward appreciator—will delight in.

It’s hard to believe that, to date, there has never been a Noël Coward reader; this volume marks the very first.

Here are scenes from Coward’s plays, The Vortex, Blithe Spirit, Private Lives, and Design for Living . . . from his film screenplays, Brief Encounter and the previously unpublished script for In Which We Serve . . . from his only published novel, Pomp and Circumstance, as well as four of his best short stories.

Included, as well, is his verse, in which Coward reveals the “secret heart” behind the surface wit of his more formal work . . .

And here, too, are the lyrics of his sublimely Coward songs: “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” . . . “The Stately Homes of England” . . . “I’ll See You Again” . . . “Someday I’ll Find You” . . . “Mad About the Boy” . . . “Sail Away” . . . “Mrs. Worthington” . . . and much more that embodies what Coward hoped would be his epitaph: “He was much loved, because he made people laugh and cry.”

Eddie Cantor said Noël Coward was “the British George M. Cohan . . . The most brilliant contribution England ever made to American show business.”

The Noël Coward Reader is a must-have book for those who luxuriated in the collection of his letters; for those who adore his work and those who are just discovering the delights of his writing.

Kenneth Tynan said of Coward, “Theatrically speaking, it was Coward who took sophistication out of the refrigerator and put it on the hob . . . Even the youngest of us will know, in fifty years’ time, precisely what is meant by ‘a very Noël Coward sort of person.’ ”

Those who read The Noël Coward Reader will agree: this is a very Noël Coward sort of book.

About this title

Review

"Splendid. . . . Thoroughly entertaining. . . . A treasured bedside companion." --"The Washington Post"
"A compendium of the bon vivant's best works--and the perfect reminder that great wit has no expiration date." --"Town and Country"
"Barry Day, with great skill and devotion, has vividly brought the 'Master' back to effervescent life, as fresh and witty as ever." --Christopher Plummer
"Marvelous. . . . Excellently annotated, introduced, and placed into context to remind us . . . just how great his achievements were." --"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Barry Day has given himself the formidable task of ordering and justly representing a peripatetic and outpouring talent. . . . Even Coward aficionados should find unexpected pleasures." --"The New York Times Book Review"
" "
"A wonderful selection. . . . Brilliant nuggets from an incredibly rich life's work. . . . As fresh and readable as ever." -Michael Korda, "The Daily Beast"
" "
"[A] triumph of good taste and intelligence. I was struck by the great variety of Coward selected by Barry Day and his fantastic knowledge about everything related to The Master. I just loved it." --AndrE Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater
"The timeless sensibility of NoEl Coward is perfectly captured in this amazing, career-encompassing compendium of his best work. Barry Day has achieved the impossible by encapsulating an imposing, gargantuan body of work that will delight both the novice and the longtime fan." --Michael Feinstein
"As an avid collector of Cowardiana since my teens, I possess seventy-five or so volumes of his work, the gems of which have now--astonishingly--been encapsulated in a single volume by the remarkable Barry Day (along with his ever-erudite and always entertaining commentary). What a welcome convenience and a delight it is to have this sparkling collection in one handsome, travel-handy package!" --Tony Walton

Splendid. . . . Thoroughly entertaining. . . . A treasured bedside companion. The Washington Post
A compendium of the bon vivant s best works and the perfect reminder that great wit has no expiration date. Town and Country
Barry Day, with great skill and devotion, has vividly brought the Master back to effervescent life, as fresh and witty as ever. Christopher Plummer
Marvelous. . . . Excellently annotated, introduced, and placed into context to remind us . . . just how great his achievements were. San Francisco Chronicle
Barry Day has given himself the formidable task of ordering and justly representing a peripatetic and outpouring talent. . . . Even Coward aficionados should find unexpected pleasures. The New York Times Book Review

A wonderful selection. . . . Brilliant nuggets from an incredibly rich life s work. . . . As fresh and readable as ever. Michael Korda, The Daily Beast

[A] triumph of good taste and intelligence. I was struck by the great variety of Coward selected by Barry Day and his fantastic knowledge about everything related to The Master. I just loved it. Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater
The timeless sensibility of Noel Coward is perfectly captured in this amazing, career-encompassing compendium of his best work. Barry Day has achieved the impossible by encapsulating an imposing, gargantuan body of work that will delight both the novice and the longtime fan. Michael Feinstein
As an avid collector of Cowardiana since my teens, I possess seventy-five or so volumes of his work, the gems of which have now astonishingly been encapsulated in a single volume by the remarkable Barry Day (along with his ever-erudite and always entertaining commentary). What a welcome convenience and a delight it is to have this sparkling collection in one handsome, travel-handy package! Tony Walton"

About the Author

Barry Day was born in England and received his MA from Balliol College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Trustee of the Noel Coward Foundation, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire "for services to British culture in the U.S.A." He lives in New York, London, and Palm Beach.

Barry Day was born in England and received his MA from Balliol College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Trustee of the Noël Coward Foundation and was awarded the Order of the British Empire “for services to British culture in the U.S.A.” He lives in New York, London, and Palm Beach.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0307273377
• ISBN 13: 9780307273376
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 596
• Editor: Day Barry