Recommended Reading
Compiled by Andrew Eggert
Groos, Arthur and Roger Parker. Giacomo Puccini: La Bohème (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) . Cambridge University Press, 1986.
ISBN 0521319137.
Part of the Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, this volume dedicated to La Bohème is an ideal introduction to the opera ? with a synopsis, source information, historical and biographical background, musical examples and analysis, as well as photographs and a detailed production history and discography.
Nicholas, John, editor. Puccini: La Boheme (English National Opera Guide No. 14) . Riverrun Press, 1998.
ISBN 0714539384.
This propular series of opera guides published by the English National Opera features the complete libretto published alongside a literal English translation. Each slim volume also contains information about the plot, characters, and historical context of the opera.
Osborne, Charles. The Complete Operas of Puccini: A Critical Guide . DaCapo Press, 1983.
ISBN 0306802007.
This handy source provides information about all of Puccini's operas ? from the lesser known to the most frequently performed. This overview will help guide the first time listener and will fill in details of the Puccini canon for the opera buff.
Budden, Julian. Puccini: His Life and Works (Master Musicians Series) . Oxford Press, 2002.
ISBN 0198164688.
Famed Verdi scholar Julian Budden tackles the life and operas of Puccini in this excellent study available in one volume. Budden weaves many musical examples into the context of the chronological narrative of Puccini's life, allowing biography and analysis to unfold simultaneously. This book would be the best choice for the reader with a musical background ? but by no means necessary for an appreciation of Puccini's life and art.
Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane. Puccini: A Biography . Northeastern University Press, 2002.
ISBN 1555535305.
For the reader less interested in musical analysis but curious about the persona of Puccini, Phillips-Matz recently published a biography that introduces Puccini the composer, the lover, the impresario, the icon. Written in an entertaining style, this book makes for both an enjoyable and historically informative read.
Wilson, Conrad. Giacomo Puccini . Phaidon Press, 1997.
ISBN 071483291X.
Part of the Phaidon Press Twentieth-Century Composers series, this biography tells the life of Puccini in a variety of documents ? reproductions from scores, programs, sketches, letters and photographs. Although its analysis is brief, this book would be a great companion to any other biography because of its visual elements.
