{"product_id":"the-private-secretary-9781513280615","title":"The Private Secretary","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e (1883) is a three-act comedy by English actor and playwright Charles Hawtrey. Adapted from a popular German farce, \u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e helped launch Hawtrey’s career as one of Victorian England’s leading theatrical figures. Initially panned by critics and audiences, \u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e was revised and shortened by Hawtrey, who then restaged the play to resounding praise. Revived countless times throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, \u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e is a comic masterpiece that set the stage for such playwrights as Oscar Wilde. Harry Marsland and Douglas Cattermole are two young friends who find themselves deeply in debt. Ever unwilling to take responsibility, they look to Robert Spalding, a clergyman as honest as he is innocent, for a way out. While Spalding is employed as a secretary for the Marsland family, Douglas…borrows…his identity in order to seek forgiveness from his creditors. Meanwhile, Douglas’ uncle returns from India and mistakes the unwitting clergyman for his nephew and precedes to berate him for his newfound silence and passivity. When a suspicious creditor uncovers their poorly concealed plan, the two friends must bribe him with a chance to stay at Harry’s family estate, which only further risks the chance of Spalding getting to the bottom of his own strange situation. \u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e is a comedy of manners that dissects English aristocratic life in order to expose its capacity for vanity, greed, and exploitation. This edition Charles Hawtrey’s \u003ci\u003eThe Private Secretary\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic work of English comedy reimagined for modern readers.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSince our inception in 2020, \u003cb\u003eMint Editions\u003c\/b\u003e has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \n\u003cp\u003eWith thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Charles Hawtrey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48286147182843,"sku":"9781513280615","price":3.89,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_031f4b5e-d5b3-48c3-b8cf-15cc1565834f.jpg?v=1771457539","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-private-secretary-9781513280615","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}