The Treasures of Noel Coward is a celebration of the life and work of this legendary figure, still a household name today, nearly 40 years after his death. Lord Louis Mountbatten said at Noel's 70th birthday: "There are probably greater painters than Noel, greater novelists than Noel, greater librettists, greater composers of music, greater singers, greater dancers, greater comedians, greater tragedians, greater stage producers, greater film directors, greater cabaret artists, greater TV stars. If there are, they are twelve different people. Only one man combined all twelve labels - "The Master". As a songwriter (words and music) he rivals Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Stephen Sondheim, as a playwright his output exceeded that of Somerset Maughm (and his work is revived more often) and as an influential cultural figure he has no rival - Noel Coward is simply unique and this book tells the fascinating story of how the boy from the London suburbs conquered the world with his wit, charm and - as he modestly put it himself - star quality.

Author Biography

Barry Day O.B.E. was born in England and received his M.A. from Balliol College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Trustee of the Noel Coward Foundation. He was awarded the O.B.E. for "services to British culture in the USA." The world's foremost expert on Noel Coward, he wrote Coward On Film: The Cinema of Noel Coward, Noel Coward: The Complete Illustrated Lyrics, The Noel Coward Reader, The Letters of Noel Coward and My Life With Noel Coward (with Graham Payne). He lives in New York City, London and Palm Beach.