Fame Series

Henrik Ibsen (20th March, 1828 – 23rd May, 1906) is often referred to as the father of realism and ranked just below Shakespeare as Europe’s greatest ever playwright especially as his plays are performed most frequently throughout the world after Shakespeare’s. He was Norwegian and although set his plays in Norway, he wrote them in Danish and lived most of his professional life in Italy and Germany. His affect on the theatre is still evident today and shapes the distinction of plays being art as opposed to entertainment since he broke down all previous traditions and explored issues, developed characterisation, revealed uncomfortable truths, challenged assumptions and brokedown facades in ourselves as well as society. These factors are clearly demonstrated in John Gabriel Borkman, a banker who had previously been imprisoned for investing his clients money without their consent but believes himself innocent of any crime as he had not intended to steal funds or swindle them but was caught before being able to pay back the ‘loans’. Borkman is married to Gunhild but as a young man was in love with her twin, Ella who although still a part of their lives, helping to raise his son whilst he was in prison, is estranged from her twin sister. Ibsen explores the despair felt by Borkman and Ella in this play. The dramatic climax and poetic beauty of his words ensures that this lesser known Ibsen play should not be overlooked.

Hanna Greally spent the best part of the 1940s and 1950s incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital in the Irish Midlands. In Birds Nest Soup she recounts with vivid detail the terrible suffering she endured there. Though mentally well, and accepted as such by the authorities, she was condemned to life in an atmosphere calculated to bring about the steady degradation of the person. But Hanna lived to tell this remarkable and poignant tale of survival

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. His early career was unremarkable. After failing to enter West Point he enlisted in the 7th Calvary but was discharged after heart problems were diagnosed. A series of short term jobs gave no indication as to a career path but finally, in 1911, married and with two young children, he turned his hand to writing. He aimed his works squarely at the very popular pulp serial magazines. His first effort ‘Under The Moons Of Mars’ ran in Munsey’s Magazine in 1912 under the pseudonym Norman Bean. With its success he began writing full time. A continuing theme of his work was to develop series so that each character had ample opportunities to return in sequels. John Carter was in the Mars series and there was another on Venus and one on Pellucidar among others. But perhaps the best known is Tarzan. Indeed Burroughs wanted so much to capitalise upon the brand that he introduced a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. He purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California, which he named "Tarzana." The surrounding communities outside the ranch voted in 1927 to adopt the name as their own. By 1932 Burroughs set up his own company to print his own books. Here we publish the first of his Tarzan books ‘Tarzan of the Apes’. A cultural classic.

The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of GK Chesterton. Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in Campden hill, Kensington on May 29th 1874. Originally after attending St Pauls School he went to Slade to learn the illustrators art and literature. In 1896 he joined a small London publisher and began his journalistic career as a freelance art and literary critic. In 1901 he married Frances Blogg, to whom he remained married for the rest of his life. Thereafter he obtained weekly columns in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. For many he is known as a very fine novelist and the creator of the Father Brown Detective stories which were much influenced by his own beliefs. A large man – 6’ 42 and 21st in weight he was apt to be forgetful in that delightful way that the British sometimes are – a telegram home to his wife saying he was in one place but where should he actually be. But he was prolific in many other areas; he wrote plays, essays, loved to debate and wrote hundreds of poems. But in this volume we concentrate on his short stories especially those concerning a certain Father Brown. Chesterton died of congestive heart failure on 14th June 1936 and is buried in Beaconsfield just outside of London. Many of these stories are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Word Of Mouth. Many samples are at our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PortablePoetry?feature=mhee

The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of John Galsworthy. John Galsworthy was born at Kingston Upon Thames in Surrey, England, on August 14th 1867 to a wealthy and well established family. His schooling was at Harrow and New College, Oxford before training as a barrister and being called to the bar in 1890. However, Law was not attractive to him and he travelled abroad becoming great friends with the novelist Joseph Conrad, then a first mate on a sailing ship. In 1895 Galsworthy began an affair with Ada Nemesis Pearson Cooper, the wife of his cousin Major Arthur Galsworthy. The affair was kept a secret for 10 years till she at last divorced and they married on 23 September 1905. Galsworthy first published in 1897 with a collection of short stories entitled “The Four Winds”. For the next 7 years he published these and all works under his pen name John Sinjohn. It was only upon the death of his father and the publication of “The Island Pharisees” in 1904 that he published as John Galsworthy. His first play, The Silver Box in 1906 was a success and was followed by “The Man of Property" later that same year and was the first in the Forsyte trilogy. Whilst today he is far more well know as a Nobel Prize winning novelist then he was considered a playwright dealing with social issues and the class system. He is now far better known for his novels, particularly The Forsyte Saga, his trilogy about the eponymous family of the same name. These books, as with many of his other works, deal with social class, upper-middle class lives in particular. Although always sympathetic to his characters, he reveals their insular, snobbish, and somewhat greedy attitudes and suffocating moral codes. He is now viewed as one of the first from the Edwardian era to challenge some of the ideals of society depicted in the literature of Victorian England. In his writings he campaigns for a variety of causes, including prison reform, women's rights, animal welfare, and the opposition of censorship as well as a recurring theme of an unhappy marriage from the women’s side. During World War I he worked in a hospital in France as an orderly after being passed over for military service. He was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1929, after earlier turning down a knighthood, and awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932 though he was too ill to attend. John Galsworthy died from a brain tumour at his London home, Grove Lodge, Hampstead on January 31st 1933. In accordance with his will he was cremated at Woking with his ashes then being scattered over the South Downs from an aeroplane.

Poetry is a fascinating use of language. With almost a million words at its command it is not surprising that the English language has produced some of the most beautiful, moving and descriptive verse through the centuries. In this series we look at individual poets who have shaped and influenced their craft and cement their place in our heritage. In this volume we look further at the works of the eminent American writer Robert Frost.

Henrik Ibsen (20th March, 1828 – 23rd May, 1906) is often referred to as the father of realism and ranked just below Shakespeare as Europe’s greatest ever playwright especially as his plays are performed most frequently throughout the world after Shakespeare’s. Ibsen was Norwegian and although set his plays in Norway, he wrote them in Danish and lived most of his professional life in Italy and Germany. His affect on the theatre is still evident today and shapes the distinction of plays being art as opposed to entertainment since he broke down all previous traditions and explored issues, developed characterisation, revealed uncomfortable truths, challenged assumptions and broke down facades in ourselves as well as society. These factors are clearly demonstrated in Hedda Gabler where Ibsen presents one of the most interesting and elusive heroines in theatrical history. Hedda is the daughter of a deceased General and enters into a loveless marriage with the lacklustre George Tesman. Hedda’s desperation is totally misunderstood by those around yet portrayed so realistically with some of his finest most memorable prose that we can empathise with her behaviour. Hedda aptly points out: "I think I have a natural talent for boring myself to death." This Ibsen work certainly does not bore and is an essential riveting read.

The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of GK Chesterton. Gilbert Keith Chesterton was born in Campden hill, Kensington on May 29th 1874. Originally after attending St Pauls School he went to Slade to learn the illustrators art and literature. In 1896 he joined a small London publisher and began his journalistic career as a freelance art and literary critic. In 1901 he married Frances Blogg, to whom he remained married for the rest of his life. Thereafter he obtained weekly columns in the Daily News and The Illustrated London News. For many he is known as a very fine novelist and the creator of the Father Brown Detective stories which were much influenced by his own beliefs. A large man – 6’ 42 and 21st in weight he was apt to be forgetful in that delightful way that the British sometimes are – a telegram home to his wife saying he was in one place but where should he actually be. But he was prolific in many other areas; he wrote plays, essays, loved to debate and wrote hundreds of poems. But in this volume we concentrate on his short stories especially those concerning a certain Father Brown. Chesterton died of congestive heart failure on 14th June 1936 and is buried in Beaconsfield just outside of London. Many of these stories are also available as an audiobook from our sister company Word Of Mouth. Many samples are at our youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PortablePoetry?feature=mhee

The short story is often viewed as an inferior relation to the Novel. But it is an art in itself. To take a story and distil its essence into fewer pages while keeping character and plot rounded and driven is not an easy task. Many try and many fail. In this series we look at short stories from many of our most accomplished writers. Miniature masterpieces with a lot to say. In this volume we examine some of the short stories of Anthony Trollope. Born in London on 24th April 1815 Trollope is considered a giant of English literature. His early schooling was at Harrow and Sunbury. He was often bullied due to the family’s reduced financial means exacerbated by his bad tempered father who seemed to be full of energy but lacking in any follow through to turn it into a regular income. His mother, Frances, moved with three of his younger siblings to the United States in 1827 returning only in 1831 as a successful writer. His father who had travelled with them for only a short time continued to fail. In 1834 Anthony Trollope moved with his family to Bruges in Belgium to escape the debt collectors pursuing his father. With the offer of work for the General Post Office he returned to London later that same year. The next 7 years were by his own account unproductive and miserable. However in 1841 a chance to move to Ireland for the GPO availed itself and he took it. His life began to turn around. His salary went further and his work went well and he became a valuable part of its’ work. In 1842 he met and then became engaged to Rose Heseltine and they later married in 1844. The marriage also stimulated his writing ambitions and within a year he had finished his first novel, “The Macdermots of Ballycloran”. During his long travels around Ireland he now began to write extensively often setting himself a schedule about how many words to write in a day. This discipline ensured a prolific and extensive literary catalogue in the decades to follow. In 1851 he was sent to England to organise rural delivery in part of the country. He travelled extensively for two years. In this period he began to nurture the first of the six Barsetshire novels “The Warden’ which was published to encouraging sales in 1855. Two years later, also in the same series, the famed “Barchester Towers” was published. In 1859 he wanted to contribute short stories to the Cornhill magazine, edited by William Makepeace Thackeray. His novel “Framley Parsonage” was initially printed as a serial in the magazine and proved lucrative and reputation building. Wishing to move his writing career forward he knew he should really be established back in England and preferably London. So in 1861 he sought and was appointed as Surveyor to the Eastern District, comprising Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, and most of Hertfordshire. That same year he moved to Waltham Cross, about 12 miles from London, where he lived until 1871. In 1868 he resigned from the Post Office in order to run for Parliament (being a public servant he was otherwise ineligible to run) as a Liberal at Beverley in Yorkshire. Unfortunately with vote buying and other corrupt practices prevalent he finished last of 4 candidates despite spending over £400 on the campaign. However it brought new light on to the practice and helped to clean up national politics. Thereafter he focused his attention solely on writing. In 1871 he visited Australia for a year to see his younger son, his ensuing book, though even handed, gave way to resentment on many Australians part which still simmered on a return visit some years later. Shortly before his end he returned again to Ireland to research his last and unfinished novel “The Landleaguers”. In his prolific career he had written 47 novels as well as many short stories and travel books. On December 1882 he died in London and is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.

Henrik Ibsen (20th March, 1828 – 23rd May, 1906) is often referred to as the father of realism and ranked just below Shakespeare as Europe’s greatest ever playwright especially as his plays are performed most frequently throughout the world after Shakespeare’s. He was Norwegian and although set his plays in Norway, he wrote them in Danish and lived most of his professional life in Italy and Germany. His affect on the theatre is still evident today and shapes the distinction of plays being art as opposed to entertainment since he broke down all previous traditions and explored issues, developed characterisation, revealed uncomfortable truths, challenged assumptions and brokedown facades in ourselves as well as society. These factors are clearly demonstrated in The Vikings of Helgeland, another of Ibsen’s historical tragedies. The play takes place in the tenth century, during the time of Erik Blood-Axe in northern Norway when the country was becoming Christian and the influence of the Old Norse Sagas was diminishing. Ornulf and his seven sons are seeking their abducted sisters but tragedy awaits them in Ibsen’s fine play.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. His early career was unremarkable. After failing to enter West Point he enlisted in the 7th Calvary but was discharged after heart problems were diagnosed. A series of short term jobs gave no indication as to a career path but finally, in 1911, married and with two young children, he turned his hand to writing. He aimed his works squarely at the very popular pulp serial magazines. His first effort ‘Under The Moons Of Mars’ ran in Munsey’s Magazine in 1912 under the pseudonym Norman Bean. With its success he began writing full time. A continuing theme of his work was to develop series so that each character had ample opportunities to return in sequels. John Carter was in the Mars series and there was another on Venus and one on Pellucidar among others. But perhaps the best known is Tarzan. Indeed Burroughs wanted so much to capitalise upon the brand that he introduced a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. He purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California, which he named "Tarzana." The surrounding communities outside the ranch voted in 1927 to adopt the name as their own. By 1932 Burroughs set up his own company to print his own books. Here we publish the sixth in the Tarzan series ‘Jungle Tales of Tarzan’. Another cultural classic.

Consider a world where gold is worthless, everybody earns the same amount, banks do not exist and international trade is banned. Would our lives be better if all work was fun, debt was wiped out and anybody could live wherever they wanted? What would happen if we banned adverts, stopped shopping and rationed carbon? All these ideas and more are analysed and debated in this timely new book.Consider a world where gold is worthless, everybody earns the same amount, banks do not exist and international trade is banned. Would our lives be better if all work was fun, debt was wiped out and anybody could live wherever they wanted? What would happen if we banned adverts, stopped shopping and rationed carbon? All these ideas and more are analysed and debated in this timely new book. In between these speculations, there are also seven historical ‘what ifs’, which examine the consequences of real-life economic experiments, such as ‘What if we abolish slavery?’ and ‘What if we just keep printing banknotes?’. You need to speculate to accumulate. With its informative and thought-provoking speculations, ‘What If Money Grew on Trees?’ will help you to accumulate the knowledge you need to understand the way the financial world works today, and to consider the shape it might take in the future. Also available in the series ‘What If Einstein Was Wrong?’

The monologue Book you have been waiting for! Award-winning material written specifically for today's teens. Challenging monologues in real language and real situations that are really fun to work on.

The newest volume in our monologue series, these original pieces were all written by teen actors and actresses. Terrific for auditions or the classroom, these monologues include a wide variety of characters and situations. Teens writing for tens help the high school actor find the right "voice" when choosing age-appropriate material."Any teen looking for audition material will love this book. The short monologues cover a range of genres from comedy to dramatic coming-of-age pieces. . . . Lamedman provides both boys and girls with monologues tailored to their needs and with stories that allow them to use their acting abilities to the fullest."- BOOKLIST, The Ultimate Audition Book for Teens Vol. IV

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. His early career was unremarkable. After failing to enter West Point he enlisted in the 7th Calvary but was discharged after heart problems were diagnosed. A series of short term jobs gave no indication as to a career path but finally, in 1911, married and with two young children, he turned his hand to writing. He aimed his works squarely at the very popular pulp serial magazines. His first effort ‘Under The Moons Of Mars’ ran in Munsey’s Magazine in 1912 under the pseudonym Norman Bean. With its success he began writing full time. A continuing theme of his work was to develop series so that each character had ample opportunities to return in sequels. John Carter was in the Mars series and there was another on Venus and one on Pellucidar among others. But perhaps the best known is Tarzan. Indeed Burroughs wanted so much to capitalise upon the brand that he introduced a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. He purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California, which he named "Tarzana." The surrounding communities outside the ranch voted in 1927 to adopt the name as their own. By 1932 Burroughs set up his own company to print his own books. Here we publish the first in the Barsoom series and its enduring hero John Carter ‘A Princess of Mars’. Another cultural classic.

My First Latino Monologue Book is the first title in a groundbreaking new collection designed to support K-3 students in beginning acting classes whose first language, or language most frequently spoken at home, is Spanish. Specific characters are featured in this collection of 100 short monologues -- people kids know, like the local hairdresser, the cop on the corner, or a boring teacher at school, and people kids probably don't know, such as an astronaut, a mad scientist, even a witch! -- requiring them to do a bit of imagining along the way. Each monologue calls for different physical movements, voices, and perspectives, encouraging young performers to take an active role in forming their own acting choices. Critical thinking questions follow each monologue, tailored as imagination or hidden-clue questions, to get young performers thinking in-depth about the character.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois. His early career was unremarkable. After failing to enter West Point he enlisted in the 7th Calvary but was discharged after heart problems were diagnosed. A series of short term jobs gave no indication as to a career path but finally, in 1911, married and with two young children, he turned his hand to writing. He aimed his works squarely at the very popular pulp serial magazines. His first effort ‘Under The Moons Of Mars’ ran in Munsey’s Magazine in 1912 under the pseudonym Norman Bean. With its success he began writing full time. A continuing theme of his work was to develop series so that each character had ample opportunities to return in sequels. John Carter was in the Mars series and there was another on Venus and one on Pellucidar among others. But perhaps the best known is Tarzan. Indeed Burroughs wanted so much to capitalise upon the brand that he introduced a syndicated Tarzan comic strip, movies and merchandise. He purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, California, which he named "Tarzana." The surrounding communities outside the ranch voted in 1927 to adopt the name as their own. By 1932 Burroughs set up his own company to print his own books. Here we publish the first in the Mucker series ‘The Mucker’. Perhaps a diversion for the pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs but nonetheless a cultural classic.

Everyday life was never so nutty! Inside My First Monologue Book you'll find 100 imaginative "what if" pieces for would-be princesses, cowboys, robots, and superheroes as well as real-life issues like unfair bedtimes, making new friends, and the horrible taste of broccoli. At this stage in life there are lots of firsts, too, like going to a new school and losing your teeth, so there are plenty of topics for children to connect with. Divided into sections by theme and sprinkled with illustrations, the material in this book is easily incorporated into existing reading curriculum. Often, young children are given work written for older students that is difficult for them to understand and retain. While not dumbed-down, this material is comprehensible, relatable, and fun.

Middle school could not be more dramatic! Everything is both highly serious and seriously funny at the same time. This is the perfect time to showcase your acting skills. But where can you find juicy monologues? In this book! This is the guide for middle school actors. Nothing is held back. All the clean-your-room, give-me-your-lunch-money, take-a-shower-already, buy-me-some-lip-gloss, he-does-not-like-me, you-puked-on-my-math-book incidents are in here. Plus a whole lot of other stuff you wish would happen. Get ready for stage and screen!

You can now experience the same training studied by some of out finest actors, including: Robert Duvall, Joanne Woodward, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Gregory Peck, Jon Voight, Eli Wallach and many others. With a foreword by Academy Award Winner and theatre legend, Horton Foote, this inspiring new book will strengthen in you the most essential and vital skills of great acting! It will lead you to a very personal way of working, as an actor who is absolutely authentic and tremendously simple - so rare in today's theatre. The Sanford Meisner Approach: An Actor's Workbook Volume I is appropriate for any actor, from beginning student to working professional. As you experience the joy of discovery offered in each lesson, the Workbook will awaken within you a profound passion to create and a hunger to express yourself as an artist of the theatre, An Actor!

Are you a jock? A geek? A ladies' man? A slob? Doesn't matter. This book covers everything! To make your search for the right monologue easy, we've created this series of one- to two-minute monologues. Follow several very different characters through various scenarios (friends, family, school, strangers, siblings, and more) with both dramatic and hilarious results.

The monologues in this volume come from the following plays by Glenn Alterman: The Pain in the Poetry, Once in a Blue Moon, Goin' Round on Solid Rock Ground, The Dangers of Strangers, Nobody's Flood.