1858-1924

Discusses the background of the opera, synopsis of the plot, music, survey of performances, chronology and major compositions by Puccini.

Presents information on the life and work of late nineteenth/early twentieth-century American artist Maurice Prendergast, known for his distinctive use of color, and includes illustrations of his paintings and sketches.

Mimi, a poor seamstress, and Rodolphe, a struggling playwright, fall in love. When Mimi attempts to help Rodolphe get his play produced, he suspects her of infidelity and she leaves him. Later, a severely ill Mimi returns to the now successful Rodolphe and dies.

Madama Butterfly concerns the disastrous results of a young American naval officer's marriage to a pretty geisha.

An autobiographical account by the author of "The Railway Children" and other children's books, in which she describes a childhood spent sometimes within the security of her family and sometimes apart from them in schools she detested.