<p> The first book on Booth's ten tumultuous years on the stage, with a wealth of rare period illustrations reproduced with special techniques yielding results of better quality than the originals.</p><p> The book evaluates his performances through newspaper reviews and the recorded opinions of his contemporaries; it also separates Booth the actor from Booth the assassin. Previously unpublished letters are included, some in facsimile.</p><p> John Wilkes' famous brother Edwin was <I>not</I> necessarily the leading actor of his era: this book indicates why John Wilkes Booth might claim that distinction.</p><p> One of the appendices is an exhaustive chronology of <I>all</I> his performances, and <I>all</I> fellow cast members.</p>