The Faber Pocket Guide to Greek and Roman Drama

This is a brilliant little resource - concise, informative, an enjoyable read. Burgess has an relaxed, informal style and keeps it light with occasional humour. I bought it as a writer and actor; so handy to swat up on the legends, or glean some inspiration. But I think anyone would enjoy having it on their shelf or bathroom mag rack because you can delve in or just pick it up for an interesting snippet. It has a neat layout, beginning with a potted overview of the period; then each of the Dramas is sectioned into: the legend, the story, the drama of the play (with lovely angles as Burgess is a director), translations available (which are best & which best avoided), performances (including original production info - fascinating - and recent productions incl dates, theatres, actors/directors & other lovely tidbits). Burgess certainly knows his onions. Highly recommend it!

Chapters are clear with Storyline and history for each. Given that prior to the dramas all plays were stories as verse(eg Homer), this provides a good summary of the plots and background to plays.

this is the best single volume companion to Greek and Roman drama. It contains an invaluable collection of plot summaries and discussion of key themes. When reading/ going to see a play preformed definitely consult this fabulous little volume first!

An excellent book which provides a basic understanding of the Greek and Roman Theatre with an excellent bibliography. I had the Kindle version and was able to download the book with some difficulty due to the recent changes in the system.

written centuries ago, the summaries in this small book bring alive not only the plays themselves but the context in which they were written

outstanding commentaries

Great book, prompt delivery, safe packing. Many thanks. John

Probably the best book around for commentaries on Greek and Roman drama. Easy to read and comprehensive. I honestly don't know of a better, and more up to date, book than this one. John Burgess has done a tremendous job. Five stars, easily. I hope you find my review helpful.

great