Modern Drama in Theory and Practice: Volume 2, Symbolism, Surrealism and the Absurd

I think so. The first book in Styan's famous three volume set on late 19th and 20th century theatre, this is a masterful survey, illustrated with 34 black and white illustrations -- largely of the original productions. (I have cruised through but haven't read Styan Vols 2 and 3...) #1: A tidy book. Not large; only a bit over 200 pp. With two great appendicies: a chronological Table of the Events of the Theatre and a very helpful bibliography, listing the major works of the major players. All the big names are here: Zola, Saxe-Meiningen, Moscow Art Theatre, Chekhov, Strindberg, Ibsen, Shaw, the Irish realists, the "method" as understood in America, O'Neill, Rice, Odets, Miller, Williams, Wesker, Osborne, et al. However, unlike the cursory high points that appear in most theatre history texts, Styan gives the reader context. He also isn't afraid to dive in and discuss individual plays. And as far as I'm concerned, the texts are more important than the general aesthetic trends. (Speaking personally, armed with Styan and with a copy of the opinionated, pity, outrageous, and out-of-print The Fireside Companion to the Theatre by Ethan Mordden, you're pretty much all set. Well, except for 1975 and forward, but that's really a different era.)