"If one were to climb the beanstalk of American drama, what would be discovered at the very top is a giant. His name is Eugene O'Neill. He towers above American drama like a colossus, and for many critics -- theatrical reviewers and scholars -- other playwrights were but petty things to walk under his huge legs and peep about. ...'Monumental' is the word most often used to describe O'Neill's work, from Strange Interlude to A Touch of the Poet. This word may be used as well to describe O'Neill and his reputation. No one ever accused O'Neill, or his work, of being too small." So says editor Martine in introducing this collection with his own compendious bibliography of O'Neill scholarship. ISBN 0-8161-8683-9 : $28.50.