Many years before he began to write the Shakespeare Made Easy Series, Alan Durband established himself as an author of innovative English text books for schools. He also developed several series of short modern plays to meet the needs of schools and youth drama groups.

Many of these early works are now out of print. If you are interested in a particular book, please click its title or contact us.

English Workshop 1–3

Contemporary English 1–2

Shorter Contemporary English

New English 1–4

Drama anthologies edited by Alan Durband:

New Directions
Contents: Return Journey / by Dylan Thomas - The Bald Prima Donna / by Eugene Ionesco - A Resounding Tinkle / by NF Simpson - Barnstable / by James Saunders - Out of the Flying Pan / by David Campton

Playbill Series
A graded series of one-act plays by established playwrights, none of which has previously appeared in print. One of the outstanding features of the series is that the plays have been selected with the needs of large classes in mind so that many pupils can participate.

Playbill One
Contents: Arthur / by David Cregan - The Right Place / by David Campton - School Play / by Donald Howarth - The Crickets Sing / by Beverley Cross - Ernie's Incredible Illucinations / by Alan Ayckbourn

Terraces (a revised edition of Second Playbill One)
Contents: Terraces / by Willy Russell - The Jolly Good Fellow / by John Kershaw - The Man Without a Name / by David Shellan - Who is Bobby Valentine? / by Ken Taylor - The New Model Army / by Terry Phillips and Jackie Girling

Playbill Two
Contents: The Rising Generation / by Ann Jellicoe - As Good as New / by David Perry -  Fancy Seeing You, Then / by Stewart Conn - Perfection City / by David Shellan - A Separate Peace / by Tom Stoppard

Second Playbill Two
Contents: Words / by Cecil Taylor - Cabbages / by Gaie Houston - The Singing Door / by Doris Lessing - Burn-Up / by Derek Bowskill - Weevils in My Biscuit / by Charles Savage

Playbill Three
Contents: Excursion / by Alan Plater - A Choice of Kings / by John Mortimer - A Dead Liberty / by Alan Gosling - Boy Dudgeon / by Ray Jenkins - The Gift / by Ronald Duncan

Second Playbill Three
Contents: A Hot Godly Wind / by Charles Dyer - Tie Up The Ballcock / by Charles Wood - Me Mackenna / by Don Shaw - Class Play / by David Selbourne - Brainscrew / by Henry Livings

Prompt One
Contents: A Day in the Mind of Tich Oldfield / by Alan England - Apples / by C.P. Taylor - Voyage of a Lifetime / by Trevor Harvey - Island / by Michael Barwis - George / by C.G. Bond

Prompt Two
Contents: Speech Day / by Barry Hines - The Ballad of Ben Bagot / by Peter Terson - Here is Your Life / by Bob Taylor - Burglars / by David Rudkin - A Question of Honour / by Don Shaw

Prompt Three
Contents: They Don't All Open Men's Boutiques / by Willis Hall - Decibels / by John Hale - Bovver / by Roy Minton - Old Comrades / by Robert Holles - The Punishment / by E.A. Whitehead

Wordplays 1
Contents: We Shall Never Die / by Dave Sheasby - The Tree Machine / by Mandy Alexander - The Awful Billy Smiff / by Brian Jacques - Darren’s Conker / by Anne Pickles - Politics and Terror / by Willy Russell - All Friends Together / by Tim Shields

Wordplays 2
Contents: The Killer Cave / by Alan England - The Dividing Fence / Peter Terson - Get Well Soon / Ken Campbell - What are We Going to do Now? / Alan Bleasdale - Gone to Jesus / Chris Bond - Breaking Out / by George Friel