(Applause Books). Despite the abundant variety of Chekhov translations available in bookstores and libraries, American directors and actors have sought... out these versions by Jean-Claude van Itallie to make them the most often performed renditions on the American stage today. This edition includes "The Seagull," "Uncle Vanya," "Three Sisters," and "The Cherry Orchard."

Newly repackaged, here are the five masterpieces by one of the world's greatest playwrights, in translation by Ann Dunnigan. As Robert Brustein declares... in the foreword to this edition: "in the modern theater...there are none who bring the drama to a higher realization of its human role."

Paul Ogden, a deaf college professor, and his wife Anne, who is hard of hearing, discovered their "ears" in Chelsea, a beautiful, gentle Belgian... sheepdog. Instead of herding sheep, like her ancestors, Chelsea works as a signal dog, helping the Ogdens live as normally as possible. She "tells" them if someone is at the door or on the phone, and wakes them when the alarm has gone off. She even reacts to the sound of strange voices and unusual noises. "A warm and witty book . . . Chelsea's tale is a delightful read. . . . That feeling of love and devotion -- the Ogdens for Chelsea and she for them -- comes through on every page of Paul Ogden's book." -- The Baltimore Sun