... it might not warrant a place on the shelves of those in charge of arts and entertainment, this bible of press and public relations contains a mass of extremely useful information. One of the most obvious uses is that it enables one to pick out potential spon sors and, possibly more important, the public relations consultants who repre sent them. But there are listings of hundreds of contacts ...

... the Queen that one can hardly blame her for wanting to cash in on the likeness, particularly as in her youth she was a keen amateur actress whose desire to turn professional was thwarted by the resemblance because no one would take her work seriously. The extraordinary likeness has in fact haunted her all her life, for even when she was a child she was continually mistaken for Princess ...

... tree, even if it is not one's own, and Charles Kidd, editor of Debrett, has probably struck a rich seam in extending his genealogical researches from the peerage and royalty to humbler but much more interesting mortals such as film stars. Of course, in the old days, and occasionally even now, the aristos creep into the genealogies of the nouveau riche and incredibly famous, and there are a few ...

... PETER HEPPLE on a supreme light comedian Joe Orton, by Maurice Charney (Macmillan, £13 hardback, £3.95 paperback) It is always instructive, as is custom ary in the Macmillan Modern Dramat ists series, to read an outsider's view of an English playwright. Particularly one as English as Joe Orton, whose plays are full of references to English class and social attitudes. But Maurice Charney, ...

... colourful energies of the Pineapple Dance Centres, where the glamorous and trendy go for their daily dance classes. Its appeal is immediate, and its tone sensible enough to make it a good buy for the uninitiated. Pineapple's found Debbie Moore (with help from Gay Search and David Roper) presents brief descriptions of the wide range of classes on offer, from ballet to belly dancing, from modern ...

... 400 of which have never been published be fore, probably less than 100 are at all well-known. But the complete corpus of Porter's work gives one an idea of the range and genius of the man not especially apparent in his first-ever song, written in 1909, but soon becom ing evident, even in the roisteringly butch football and college numbers he wrote at Yale. Kimball, editor of Cole and also co ...

... author's main objective is to de-mystify Leigh's methods of devising plays. He deals with television as well as theatre plays. ...

... cameramen during its heyday, showing the stars off-duty but still very camera-conscious. Strongly recommended as a souvenir of happier days and for the excellent quality both of the photographs and their reproduction. Oh No! Not Another 1000 Jokes for Kids, by Michael Kllgarriff (Ward Lock, Wp) Actor Michael Kilgarriff dredges up another collection of the simplistic comedy loved by children. ...

... Opera Handbooks, which includes not only Griffiths' own examination and synopsis of Stravinsky's opera, but an article by the composer himself, a note on the libretto by his amanuensis Robert Craft and some thoughts on the story by Gabriel Josipovici. ...

... from the notable Shakespeare Survey is always rewarding, particularly so with Aspects of Shakespeare's Problem Plays, which is concerned with a trio of plays only in modern times having found a special interest with both critics and audiences, Hitherto having been more or less neglected, if not ignored. They are All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure and Troilus and Cressida. ...

... Olivier and the crown he refuses to give up Rene Elvin on a great actor's reflections on his craft Oa Acting, by Laurence Olivier (Weidenfeld Nicolson. £12.95) I WEAR an invisible theatrical crown, which I like, am very attached to and will not give up. So writes the celebrated author of this book, and we can certainly believe him, though whether he is the sole owner of that crown or should ...

... How the Boy grew into a very rich man i Like Punk Never Happened: Culture Club and the New Pop, by Dave Rimmer (Faber and Faber, £4.95 paperback) Dave Rimmer has been a writer on Smash Hits but possibly because of this I has received a keener insight into what makes the pop business tick than those writers who keep themselves in isolation and prefer to analyse the music rather than the artists ...