Scarecrow's Historical Dictionary of French Theater is the 39th volume in their series Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts. It was preceded in the series by the titles Spanish Cinema and Film Noir (RR 2011/42). The author, Edward Forman, is a senior lecturer in the French department at Bristol University with 30 years experience teaching the subject. The dictionary is a fine demonstration of the author's wide‐ranging knowledge and his understanding of what is important for the study of the subject at undergraduate level.
After a chronology and a 14‐page introduction, Forman offers 240 pages of entries. This is then followed by 40 pages of bibliography. As with Scarecrow's Film Noir title, individual entries vary from the very succinct, consisting of just a few lines to entries which are several pages long. Major writers, institutions and genres such as the Comédie Française, Racine and Corneille receive relatively more detailed attention. The entries are clearly written for an undergraduate readership, and are cross‐referenced. An index would have helped find names of people or institutions that do not have an entry of their own, for example, Jack Lang or Nicolas Bataille.
The dictionary's coverage is broadly spread across the history of French theatre from Adam de la Halle to Yasmina Reza. Forman is a seventeenth century specialist with an interest in classical influence on French theatre but there is no preference for any one period in this work. The volume demonstrates the important legacy of all periods. The dictionary provides some fascinating information such as George Buchanan involving the young Montaigne in dramatic productions, or the entries about Baron Isidore Taylor and sotie. After 20 minutes browsing the dictionary leaves the reader wanting to head for the Avignon Festival or a theatre in Paris. The volume possesses a robust binding and is printed on preservation standard paper.
Libraries are inevitably the main market for this type of work. This dictionary will be beyond the pockets of the majority of even the most motivated undergraduate students. Given the significant cuts to library budgets, book selectors are increasingly left with particularly difficult decisions. Despite my enthusiasm for the topic and my respect for Forman's coverage, I have a concern. Priced at £51.95, I would query whether the dictionary offers value for money for its 336 pages. We should expect greater coverage for our money and can justify this by looking at similar reference works published by equally respected publishers and academics. Despite Edward Forman's experience and his coverage of the subject, Historical Dictionary of French Theater would not be a priority on my list. If there is not a careful rethink of such dictionaries, particularly regarding their format, price and the searching of their contents, they will become uncompetitive dinosaurs in the face of internet resources and savage university library budget cuts.
