Theater News

Melvyn Zerman, Founder of Limelight Editions, Dies at 79

| New York City |

April 26, 2010

Melvyn Zerman, founder of Limelight Editions, has died, according to a report in The New York Times. He was 79.

Offering both paperback editions of neglected classics on the performing arts and an eclectic array of new hardcover titles, the imprint debuted in 1984 with paperback editions of William Goldman’s The Season and William Redfield’s Letters From an Actor. In 1992, Limelight Editions became the publisher of the Best Plays Theater Yearbook.

Among Limelight’s new titles: John Oiler’s Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew and Richard J. Lane’s Swashbuckling: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Art of Stage Combat and Theatrical Swordplay.

In addition to his work as a publisher, Zerman also wrote books including Call to Final Witness, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Inside the Jury System, and Taking on the Press: Constitutional Rights in Conflict.

He is survived by two sons, a daughter, two sisters and four grandchildren.

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