[close] Overlook's three-volume Collected Plays of Edward Albee finally brought together all of Albee's works for the first time. Now, as the first book is released in paperback, the first stage of Albee's great career will be brought in full to an even broader audience. The first volume of this three-volume collection contains the eight plays written by Albee during his early years as a playwright, from 1958 through 1965. Those range from the four brilliant one-act plays with which he exploded on the New York theater scene--The Zoo Story, The Death of Bessie Smith, The Sandbox, and The American Dream--to his early masterpiece, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Also included are two adaptations from notable American novels--The Ballad of the Sad Café and Malcolm--and Albee's mysteriously fascinating Tiny Alice. Ben Brantley of the New York Times has described him as "one of the few genuinely great living American dramatists." This book represents one of the most exciting and bold periods in the career of one of America's most popular and imaginative playwrights. [close]