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Nick Hern Books

UPDATE, 1pm Friday 19 March – this 40% Off Sale has now finished. Thank you so much to everyone who took part!

Choose from hundreds of top plays and books, and support freelancers affected by the impact of COVID-19


On 16 March 2020, as the COVID pandemic continued to spread across the UK, hundreds of theatres nationwide were forced to shut their doors. At the time, we all thought it would only be for a few weeks – but incredibly, a full year on, these treasured stages are still dark. That was also the day we temporarily shut down the NHB office, as our team switched to working remotely. Twelve months later, those doors remain closed, too.

So as the theatre community prepares to mark this unexpected anniversary, we've ventured back to NHB HQ to raid our shelves and offer you the chance to save 40% on hundreds of great playscripts and theatre books, and raise money for hard-hit theatre-workers and freelancers, in our special Sale.

Due to incredible demand, we've extended the Sale by an extra 24 hours, so it now finishes at 1pm GMT on Friday 19 March. No voucher code is required – just fill your basket with as many of the brilliant titles below as you like, head to checkout, and your discount will be automatically applied. This offer applies to paperback and hardback editions only (ebooks are not included), and all orders over £40 receive free UK delivery.

Plus, £1 from every book sold in our Sale will go to the Theatre Artists Fund, which continues to provide emergency support for theatre-workers and freelancers across the UK affected by the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the theatre sector.

We've put together an incredible selection of almost SIX HUNDRED titles, all currently available at 40% off – choose from famous, award-winning hits; wonderful, lesser-known plays we just know you'll love; brilliant shows that were sadly forced to close due to COVID; books to develop your skills or learn new ones; fascinating reads by leading names, and much more.

Pick up something you always had your eye on at a special price, or try something you've never heard of before – who knows, you might be about to discover your new favourite writer...

Everything included in the Sale has been handpicked from the shelves at NHB HQ, and stock is strictly limited. So if you see something you want, move fast to avoid missing out – because once it's gone, it's gone!

Head to the bottom of this page the entire range – or check out our curated Sale Selections, bringing together books and playscripts on different subjects and themes – and be sure to grab your bargains before our Sale ends on Friday.

It's been a really rough year for everyone connected to theatre, but we've been constantly inspired by the resilience and creativity shown by so many across the community, and with venues starting to announce re-opening plans, there's genuine hope that the lights might come back on soon. So join us to celebrate the art form we all love, and thank you for helping support freelancers at this really difficult time.

Some key info:

  • This Sale runs from 1pm GMT on Tuesday 16 March to 1pm GMT on Friday 19 March only.
  • Only titles listed on this page are available at a 40% discount. This offer applies to the physical editions (paperback, hardback and CD) only; ebooks are not included.
  • Stock of all titles included in the Sale is strictly limited. If your order contains a title that has already sold out, we will get in touch to ask if you would like to: a) swap for an item of the same value, or b) receive a refund for the value of that item.
  • All Sale orders will be dispatched from Monday 22 March. From this point, our standard delivery times will apply – please click here for more information.
  • £1 from every book sold will be donated to the Theatre Artists Fund, which provides emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK.

With almost six hundred titles included in our Sale, there's a lot to choose from.

So to help you browse through what's available, we've put together fifteen curated selections of playscripts and books on different subjects and themes, and for different readers – each packed with fantastic titles we just know you'll love. Explore tailored lists for actors, backstage practitioners and drama teachers, plays impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic you can still enjoy on the page, plays in translation, adaptations, tie-in and special editions, and more.

Click here to browse the selections – or see below for the entire range of what's available at the 40% discount.
Showing 211-240 of 568 items.
A Handful of Stars

A Handful of Stars

By Billy Roche

A gripping but warm-spirited snapshot of life in a small southern Irish town.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
  • Ebook£9.99 £7.99
    Add to basket
Pressure

Pressure

By David Haig

An intense real-life thriller centred around the most important weather forecast in the history of warfare.

Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies (stage version)

Wolf Hall & Bring Up the Bodies (stage version)

By Hilary Mantel Adapted by Mike Poulton

Mike Poulton's two-part adaptation of Hilary Mantel's acclaimed novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. A thrilling and utterly convincing portrait of a brilliant man embroiled in the lethal, high-stakes politics of the Court of Henry VIII.

Arden of Faversham

Arden of Faversham

By anonymous

A domestic tragedy about a woman plotting to have her husband murdered, Arden of Faversham was first published in 1592. Its authorship is unknown, although suggestions include Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.

  • Paperback£9.99 £7.99
    There is limited availability of this title. Please enquire before placing your order.
Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense'

Jeeves & Wooster in 'Perfect Nonsense'

By The Goodale Brothers Original author P.G. Wodehouse

An inventive, fast-paced comedy based featuring P.G. Wodehouse’s iconic double act.

Microcosm

Microcosm

By Matt Hartley

A searing thriller about paranoia, social divisions, and the creeping threat of the intruder, by the Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright.

Monty Python at Work

Monty Python at Work

By Michael Palin

A fascinating account of the making of the Monty Python TV and stage shows, films, books and albums, drawn from Michael Palin's published diaries.

The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit

The Complete Stanislavsky Toolkit

By Bella Merlin

A revised and updated edition of Bella Merlin's essential guide to Stanislavsky's terms and ideas.

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement

Burying Your Brother in the Pavement

By Jack Thorne

A play about grief and looking at someone that little bit more closely. Written specifically for young people, Burying Your Brother in the Pavement was part of the 2008 National Theatre Connections Festival and was premiered by youth theatres across the UK.

Same

Same

By Deborah Bruce

A play exporing the apparent gulf between the young and old, commissioned as part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival.

The Wardrobe

The Wardrobe

By Sam Holcroft

A gripping journey through British history that shows how our country was shaped and how connected we are with our past. Part of the 2014 National Theatre Connections Festival.

Intimate Apparel

Intimate Apparel

By Lynn Nottage

Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel is a multi-award-winning play about the empowerment of Esther, a seamstress in 1905 New York who creates exquisite lingerie for both Fifth Avenue boudoirs and Tenderloin bordellos.

Richard III

Richard III (West End edition)

By William Shakespeare Edited by Jamie Lloyd

Jamie Lloyd's version of Shakespeare's Richard III, edited for his Trafalgar Transformed production of the play in 2014, with additional bonus material.

Ballyturk

Ballyturk

By Enda Walsh

A gut-wrenchingly funny, achingly sad play featuring jaw-dropping moments of physical comedy.

The Actor and the Camera

The Actor and the Camera

By Denis Lawson Foreword by Ewan McGregor

The ultimate insider’s guide to acting for film and TV, from an actor well known for his roles on TV and in films. With a foreword by Ewan McGregor.

Freak

Freak

By Anna Jordan

A punchy and provocative new play by the Bruntwood Prize-winning author of Yen.

My Night With Reg

My Night With Reg

By Kevin Elyot

A deliciously funny and bittersweet comedy that captures the fragility of friendship, happiness and life itself. Winner of the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Comedy.

Thérèse Raquin

Thérèse Raquin (Theatre Royal Bath stage version)

By Émile Zola Adapted by Helen Edmundson

A story of lust, madness and destruction set in the backstreets of Paris. Based on Emile Zola's classic novel.

The White Devil

The White Devil (RSC version)

By John Webster

A violent tragedy, regarded as one of the great works of Jacobean theatre. Features the text edited for the 2014 RSC production, and introductions by key members of its creative team.

Little Revolution

Little Revolution

By Alecky Blythe

An explosive verbatim play about the 2011 London Riots, by the author of the award-winning London Road.

Advice from the Players

Advice from the Players

By Laura Barnett

A host of tips and guidance on every aspect of the actor’s craft, direct from some of the best-known stars of stage and screen, including Julie Walters, Lenny Henry, Harriet Walter, Simon Callow, Mark Gatiss, David Harewood, Jo Brand, Simon Russell Beale, Lesley Manville, Zawe Ashton and Mathew Horne, amongst many others.

King Charles III

King Charles III

By Mike Bartlett

Mike Bartlett's 'future history play' explores the people beneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of our democracy, and the conscience of Britain's most famous family.

Our Few and Evil Days

Our Few and Evil Days

By Mark O'Rowe

A chilling yet deeply human story about the limits of devotion.

Ayub Khan Din Plays: One

Ayub Khan Din Plays: One

By Ayub Khan Din

A collection of plays written and introduced by actor-turned-writer Ayub Khan Din, including his first play, East is East, which became a smash-hit film.

The Quality of Mercy

The Quality of Mercy

Reflections on Shakespeare

By Peter Brook

One of the world's most revered theatre directors reflects on a fascinating variety of Shakespearean topics.

Russian Avant-Garde Theatre

Russian Avant-Garde Theatre

War, Revolution & Design

Edited by John E. Bowlt

A sumptuously illustrated survey of the remarkable flowering of radical, visionary and experimental design for performance in Russia in the twenty years between 1913 and 1933, published alongside a major exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

What Do I Know?

What Do I Know?

People, Politics and the Arts

By Richard Eyre

A collection of fifty short pieces written by the former Artistic Director of the National Theatre.

Coolatully

Coolatully

By Fiona Doyle

Lyrical and urgent, Fiona Doyle's play Coolatully is a compassionate insight into the links between the economy, masculinity and society in the modern world. Winner of the Papatango New Writing Prize.

The Witch of Edmonton

The Witch of Edmonton

By Thomas Dekker, John Ford and William Rowley

Dekker, Ford and Rowley's remarkable play, published here in an RSC Prompt Book edition with introductions by key members of the creative team behind the RSC revival in 2014.

3 Winters

3 Winters

By Tena Štivičić

A portrait of an eclectic family, held together by the courage to survive. Winner of the 2015 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.