English Workshop. Book 1
The first volume of Durband's foundational school English textbook series.
Author guide
Alan Durband Books in Order
Alan Durband (1927–1993) was an English teacher and writer from Liverpool. He taught at the Liverpool Institute and later at C. F. Mott College of Education, where he became head of English. His books include influential school English textbooks, edited anthologies of modern one-act plays, and the Shakespeare Made Easy adaptations, which present Shakespeare's original text alongside his modern-English versions. He was also a founder and long-serving honorary officer of Liverpool's Everyman Theatre. He died in Spain in November 1993.
educational writingdramaShakespeare adaptationedited anthologies
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Start with one of these
Macbeth
A representative and widely used example of Durband's modern-English Shakespeare adaptations.
Read in order
Books by series
educational-textbook-series · complete
English Workshop
A three-volume school English textbook series.
educational-textbook-series · complete
Contemporary English
School English textbooks, including the shorter version listed by the author's bibliography.
edited-play-anthology-series · complete
Playbill
A graded series of modern one-act plays edited for schools and youth drama groups.
edited-play-anthology-series · complete
Second Playbill
A second series of modern one-act play anthologies edited for schools and youth drama groups.
edited-play-anthology-series · complete
Prompt
A three-volume series of short modern plays edited for performance and classroom use.
edited-play-anthology-series · complete
Wordplays
A two-volume series of short modern plays edited for schools and youth drama groups.
adapted-play-series · complete
Shakespeare Made Easy
Durband's series of complete Shakespeare plays with the original text paired with modern-English versions.
- 1 MacbethAmazon ↗
Book 1 · adapted-play · 1984
- 2 The Merchant of VeniceAmazon ↗
Book 2 · adapted-play · 1984
- 3 The Tragedy of Julius CaesarAmazon ↗
Book 3 · adapted-play · 1984
- 4 Romeo and JulietAmazon ↗
Book 4 · adapted-play · 1984
- 5 Henry IV, Part OneAmazon ↗
Book 5 · adapted-play · 1984
- 6 A Midsummer Night's DreamAmazon ↗
Book 6 · adapted-play · 1984
- 7 The TempestAmazon ↗
Book 7 · adapted-play · 1985
- 8 Twelfth NightAmazon ↗
Book 8 · adapted-play · 1985
- 9 King LearAmazon ↗
Book 9 · adapted-play · 1986
- 10 HamletAmazon ↗
Book 10 · adapted-play · 1986
- 11 OthelloAmazon ↗
Book 11 · adapted-play · 1989
- 12 Henry VAmazon ↗
Book 12 · adapted-play · 1989
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Edited works (1)
- New Directions: Five One-Act Plays in the Modern IdiomAmazon ↗
edited-play-anthology · 1961