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Collected Plays 1944-1961
“Miller takes his rightful place in The Library of America with this volume.” — Library Journal (starred review)
In the inaugural volume of its collected edition of Miller’s plays, The Library of America gathers the works from the 1940s and 1950s that electrified theatergoers and established Miller as one of the indispensable voices of the postwar era. Among the plays included are All My Sons , the story of an industrialist confronted with his moral lapses during World War II; Death of a Salesman , the wrenching tragedy of Willy Loman’s demise; The Crucible , at once a riveting reconstruction of the Salem witch trials and a parable of McCarthyism; and A View from the Bridge , Miller’s tale of betrayal among Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, presented here in both the original one-act and revised two-act versions.
This volume also contains the intriguing early drama The Man Who Had All the Luck , the first of Miller’s plays to be produced on Broadway, along with his adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People , the autobiographical one-act A Memory of Two Mondays , and Miller’s novella The Misfits , based on the screenplay he wrote for Marilyn Monroe.
LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
In the inaugural volume of its collected edition of Miller’s plays, The Library of America gathers the works from the 1940s and 1950s that electrified theatergoers and established Miller as one of the indispensable voices of the postwar era. Among the plays included are All My Sons , the story of an industrialist confronted with his moral lapses during World War II; Death of a Salesman , the wrenching tragedy of Willy Loman’s demise; The Crucible , at once a riveting reconstruction of the Salem witch trials and a parable of McCarthyism; and A View from the Bridge , Miller’s tale of betrayal among Italian immigrants in Brooklyn, presented here in both the original one-act and revised two-act versions.
This volume also contains the intriguing early drama The Man Who Had All the Luck , the first of Miller’s plays to be produced on Broadway, along with his adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People , the autobiographical one-act A Memory of Two Mondays , and Miller’s novella The Misfits , based on the screenplay he wrote for Marilyn Monroe.
LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.
774 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Arthur Miller
550 books3,233 followersWorks of American playwright Arthur Asher Miller include
Death of a Salesman
(1949), for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, and
The Crucible
(1953).
This essayist, a prominent figure in literature and cinema for over 61 years, composed a wide variety, such as celebrated A View from the Bridge and All My Sons , still studied and performed worldwide. Miller often in the public eye most famously refused to give evidence to the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives, received award for drama, and married Marilyn Monroe. People at the time considered the greatest Miller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...
This essayist, a prominent figure in literature and cinema for over 61 years, composed a wide variety, such as celebrated A View from the Bridge and All My Sons , still studied and performed worldwide. Miller often in the public eye most famously refused to give evidence to the un-American activities committee of the House of Representatives, received award for drama, and married Marilyn Monroe. People at the time considered the greatest Miller.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 30, 2009
Arthur Miller's plays explore what we as humans are capable of doing. We are multi-dimensional beings, creating and loving with the same heart that slaughtered Jews and burned witches. With a history like ours, there is nothing to hide. And certainly Miller reveals even more--somehow--than we were able to see in humanity before reading his plays. I connect with Miller's plays more intimately than any other playwright (with the exception of Shakespeare).
September 27, 2025
If you don't obtain all three volumes (the complete collection of Miller plays, including some obscure hidden early pieces in Vol. 3), in reality this, volume I is the one to own, which covers the super classic plays which Miller is known for, the heavy hitters, the big names, most of the major prize winners and most revived: All My Sons, The Crucible, Death of A Salesman, A View from the Bridge, and some of the earlier works all the way through the screenplay of The Misfits. There are some really good plays afterwards, well worth your time, but this fairly lightweight, hardcover well produced volume would be the single one to get for relative brevity and ease of carry combined with sturdiness (except for pages, which are light to reduce costs). Penguin has a massive -think Biblical length literally - complete edition of the plays that is about 2,000 pages. But anybody who wants a one volume "best of" the classic heart of Arthur Miller couldn't go wrong with this one. No notes, no essays, but complete texts nonetheless. Enjoy these works that challenge what it means to have a conscience and an American soul (for better and for worse).
Currently reading
July 10, 2021Read "Death of a Salesman" on 7/10/2021, 4.5 Stars
December 29, 2011
This Library of America edition of Arthur Miller’s (collected though not complete) early plays features his most famous works. For a decade or so after World War II, Miller (along with Tennessee Williams) was the master of the American stage.
Death of a Salesman **** — There’s not more I can say about this play that comments on American capitalism and exceptionalism. It is a powerful piece of stagecraft and writing, though not exactly to my tastes/interests.
An Enemy of the People *** — This is a very good adaption of Ibsen’s play. I’ve seen this performed and it was very moving. Although it’s not one of my favorite Ibsen plays, it does present the dark complexity of Ibsen’s moral worldview. No good deed goes unpunished.
The anti-democratic elements of the play are remarkable and jarring. However, in our age of evolution deniers, global warming deniers and even vaccine deniers, it’s not hard to see that the “people’s” hatred of elitism and scientific fact can be a serious hazard to society. In an increasingly technologically complex world, we pay a great price for ignorance.
The Crucible ***** — This is my favorite play by Miller. By itself, it is a powerful indictment of superstition and social hysteria. Its brilliance shines even brighter as a comment on the McCarthy “Red Scare” era.
A View from the Bridge (One Act) ** — I guess I would call this a domestic tragedy. It has snippets of verse throughout, so that interested me. That is done well without being jarringly obvious. It is a very small part of the play, however.
Thematically, A View from the Bridge questions the basis and force of the law — societal and personal. The incest theme, though, seemed out of place and awkward. It was as if Miller wanted to provide some psychological depth and he, unfortunately, turned to Freud.
Death of a Salesman **** — There’s not more I can say about this play that comments on American capitalism and exceptionalism. It is a powerful piece of stagecraft and writing, though not exactly to my tastes/interests.
An Enemy of the People *** — This is a very good adaption of Ibsen’s play. I’ve seen this performed and it was very moving. Although it’s not one of my favorite Ibsen plays, it does present the dark complexity of Ibsen’s moral worldview. No good deed goes unpunished.
The anti-democratic elements of the play are remarkable and jarring. However, in our age of evolution deniers, global warming deniers and even vaccine deniers, it’s not hard to see that the “people’s” hatred of elitism and scientific fact can be a serious hazard to society. In an increasingly technologically complex world, we pay a great price for ignorance.
The Crucible ***** — This is my favorite play by Miller. By itself, it is a powerful indictment of superstition and social hysteria. Its brilliance shines even brighter as a comment on the McCarthy “Red Scare” era.
A View from the Bridge (One Act) ** — I guess I would call this a domestic tragedy. It has snippets of verse throughout, so that interested me. That is done well without being jarringly obvious. It is a very small part of the play, however.
Thematically, A View from the Bridge questions the basis and force of the law — societal and personal. The incest theme, though, seemed out of place and awkward. It was as if Miller wanted to provide some psychological depth and he, unfortunately, turned to Freud.
June 4, 2007
I picked up this collection last year at a reading/discussion hosted by Tony Kushner (collection editor) and Robert Burnstein (horse's ass). This one has been gathering dust, but I have started to work my way backwards from The Misfits. I'm curious how I'll perceive the Miller standards I read in high school.
March 4, 2008
Terrific
June 28, 2008
May 08: Death of a Salesman, 2 of 5
Oct 07: An Enemy of the People, 3 of 5
Aug 07: The Misfits, 3 of 5
Oct 07: An Enemy of the People, 3 of 5
Aug 07: The Misfits, 3 of 5
November 4, 2011
Some of this authors plays are so poignant that they rise to the surface of everyday thought and conversation even years after reading it. That is the mark of a truly inspirational work.
June 27, 2009
I was very moved by death of a salesman, which i somehow missed in high school and college english classes... working my way through the remainder.
Currently reading
June 25, 2011Have read All My Sons, Death Of A Salesman and the Crucible. Now into The Misfits. All very
interesting, although a little on the dark side. More later
interesting, although a little on the dark side. More later
May 13, 2015
All great stories except MISFITS. I didn't understand why that was in there.
Read
October 4, 2018I hadn't read some of the plays in this collection. I enjoyed them all.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews