This volume collects the libretti of the comic operas W.S. Gilbert wrote for Arthur Sullivan's music, the works staged at the Savoy. Typical pieces include naval satire in H.M.S. Pinafore, pirate apprenticeship in The Pirates of Penzance, fairies in Parliament in Iolanthe, and the Japanese-court joke of The Mikado, along with the other collaborations of the partnership. Plots turn on topsy-turvy laws, mistaken rank, and lovers blocked by duty or a ridiculous oath. The texts are sung plays of couplets and patter, not novels. The book is the words of the operas, not a life of the authors.
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Subject/Genre
7 Subjects| No. | Volume Title | Page Count |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 | — | 321 pp |
| Vol. 2 | — | 344 pp |
Quarter bound in red cloth, grey cloth boards. Red endleaves patterned in dark brown. Grey two-volume slipcase with a design in colour by David Eccles. Vol. Fourteen leaves of plates, Vol. Eighteen pages of plates.
| Printing | Print Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Printing | 1994 | — |
| 2nd Printing | 2001 | — |