Curiosities of the American Stage

“This is by far the best book of its kind; some readers may go further and pronounce it the only book of its kind. Neither historical nor biographical, it is full of interesting chat about stage people – more than five hundred of them.” -New York Herald “Mr. Hutton has packed a marvelous amount of curious information into his pages…To collectors this volume must be quite indispensable, and there is no lover of the theater who will not find it entertaining and instructive.” -New York Tribune “Theatrical literature has nothing better and few things as good….Mr. Hutton seems to have an inexhaustible fund of personal reminiscences, and to these he has added all sorts of curious information from other sources.” -Cincinnati Times-Star “One of the most important contributions yet made to the history of our native drama….It is not only a history of the American stage, but it suggests the interests and amusements of the American people for the past century, and the advance in literary and dramatic standards. This is a book which will fill a valuable and permanent place as a book of reference, and as a cleverly told and interesting history of the people who have amused the American public….Mr. Hutton is to be congratulated upon the clearness and fulness of his work, which, taken as a whole, is a unique and valuable addition to the literature of this century.” -Boston Traveler “Mr. Hutton has brought to bear on his subject both sympathy and appreciation. Moreover, his well-tested knowledge and his well-known accuracy stamp all his statements with a double value, all of these things giving to his ‘Curiosities’ an importance not to be attained by the average collection, and carrying his volume far beyond the level of his own modest estimate.” -New York Mail and Express “Mr. Hutton has an unerring instinct for discerning what to collect and what to omit from his book. A more delightful treasury of the “Curiosities of the American Stage’ it would be difficult to conceive.” -Philadelphia Ledger "Mr. Hutton has collected some of the magazine articles on theatrical subjects he has written since his "Plays and Players" was published in this handsome volume. He writes entertainingly and with knowledge of the stage, and his new book is crammed full of facts. The various chapters treat of the native American drama, from the time of Royall Tyler, author of "The Contrast," to the time of Bronson Howard....the American burlesque, the infant phenomena of America, and a century of American Hamlets….No writer on this subject is more painstaking and accurate than Laurence Hutton. His sources of information are as trustworthy as possible. His memory is generally clear and unerring….Stage history is generally confusing and few contemporary theatrical historians have the fitness for their task that Mr. Hutton has." -The New York Times