The New Opera Glass, or Opera As She is Wrote

The New Opera Glass began life as a guidebook to the more popular operas which the English speaking tourist might expect to find being performed in the opera houses of Europe in the nineteenth century. After three blameless editions it fell into the hands of one Fr. Charley, who proceeded to update the book in his own inimitable way. In his preface to the fourth edition, Charley writes 'This new edition, revised and augmented from the author through nearly thirdy new operas may find the same kindly reception which has been proved to the foregone editions. This is the only wish from THE AUTHOR.' And here is Charley on the climax of Gonod's Romeo et Juliette: 'Romeo enters, he is seeing his wife Julia in the apparent death. In the meaning of her really death he is thrinking a bottle poison wishing to be united with her also in the death. In the same moment Julia awaked. Willing to fly the death is coming: Romeo falling on the bottom, Julia takes the sword and murders herselves.' This the first reprint to include the entire text of the fourth edition, both the original synopses and Charley's masterly updates.