Arthur Miller

Easton Press Arthur Miller books

Death of a Salesman - signed modern classic - 2002  ( red leather )
Death of a Salesman - 2002 ( blue leather - not signed )

Franklin Library Arthur Miller books

Collected Plays - signed limited edition - 1980
Collected Plays - Greatest masterpieces of American literature series - 1981
Plays: Death of a Salesman - Pulitzer Prize classics - 1986
Timebends - signed first edition - 1987

Arthur Miller biography

Arthur Miller, born on October 17, 1915, in New York City, was an American author and playwright who was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century theater. He attended the University of Michigan and served as a reporter and editor at the student news paper The Daily Michigan. In 1940 Miller married Mary Slattery with whom he later had two children. It was also in 1940 that he wrote the play The Man Who Had All The Luck which was produced later that year. In 1945 he wrote his first novel Focus. It was around this time that his first play No Villain won the Avery Hopwood Award for play writing. His works, characterized by their exploration of social and political issues, have left an indelible mark on the American cultural landscape and continue to be performed and studied worldwide. Raised in a Jewish immigrant family in Harlem, Miller witnessed firsthand the struggles of working-class Americans during the Great Depression. These experiences would later influence his writing, which often grappled with themes of economic hardship, societal injustice, and the American Dream.

Miller's breakthrough came in 1947 with the production of his play All My Sons, which earned critical acclaim and established him as a major voice in American theater. He also won the Drama Critics' Circle award for best play for All My Sons. However, it was his next work, Death of a Salesman (1948), that cemented his reputation as one of the greatest playwrights of his generation. The play, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, is a searing indictment of the American Dream, exploring the disillusionment and despair of Willy Loman, a struggling salesman. Death of a Salesman debuted on Broadway in February of 1949 He subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, and a Tony award for Death of a Salesman in 1949. Another of his famous plays The Crucible (1953) won an Antoinette Perry Award in 1953. In 1956 he separated from Mary Slattery and Married famous actress Marilyn Monroe.

Throughout his career, Miller continued to tackle pressing social issues and moral dilemmas in works such as The Crucible, a powerful allegory of McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials, and A View from the Bridge (1955), which explores themes of immigration, loyalty, and betrayal in a Brooklyn waterfront community. In addition to his achievements in theater, Miller was also a respected essayist and novelist. His memoir Timebends: A Life (1987) offers insights into his life and creative process, providing valuable context for understanding his work.

Miller's commitment to social justice extended beyond the stage. He was an outspoken advocate for civil rights and a critic of government oppression and censorship. In 1956, he was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee for his alleged ties to communism, an experience that deeply influenced his later works and reinforced his belief in the importance of individual conscience and moral integrity. Arthur Miller's legacy endures not only through his timeless plays but also through the enduring relevance of the themes he explored. By shining a spotlight on the struggles and aspirations of ordinary people, Miller's work continues to resonate with audiences, inspiring reflection, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the human condition.

For a period of time Arthur Miller used the penn name Jonathan Lovelett, and used this name as his personal identity. This resulted from a controversy surrounding his membership in the Communist Party. In 1961 he divorced Marilyn Monroe and was married again in 1962 to Inge Morath with whom he had two more children. Over the course of his life, Arthur miller wrote many books and plays including:
They Too Arise - 1937
Honors at Dawn - 1938
The Grass Still Grows - 1938
The Great Disobedience - 1938
Listen My Children - 1939
The Golden Years - 1940
The Half-Bridge - 1943
The Hook - 1947
An Enemy of the People - 1950
A View from the Bridge - 1955
A Memory of Two Mondays - 1955
The Misfits - 1961
After the Fall - 1964
Incident at Vichy - 1964
I Don't Need You Anymore - 1967
The Price - 1968
Fame - 1970
The Creation of the World and Other Business - 1972
The Archbishop's Ceiling - 1977
The American Clock - 1980
Playing For Time - 1980
Elegy for a Lady - 1982
Some Kind of Love Story - 1982
Everybody Wins - 1984
I Think About You a Great Deal - 1986
Playing for Time - 1985
I Can’t Remember Anything - 1987
Clara - 1987
The Last Yankee - 1991
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan - 1991
Homely Girl - 1992
Broken Glass - 1994
Mr Peter’s Connections - 1998
Resurrection Blues - 2002
Finishing the Picture - 2004