In his journal Joseph Holloway wrote, "Dublin without its Abbey would be a very dull place indeed ..." Readers may find that the history of Dublin and the Abbey Theatre, although hardly dull, has been considerably enlivened by the fact that Mr. Holloway trundled home every day to record in detail his reactions to plays and players, and his comments about and conversations with literary and theatrical people. Letters to and from the diarist, as well as many that were given to him because of his interest in the theatre, were assiduously copied into his journal, written in a semilegible hand.

Poring through the journal's 221 bulky volumes, the editors have focused on Holloway's accounts of the years from 1899 to 1926 as they are generally considered to be significant ones for the Abbey Theatre: the year of its founding to the production of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, which caused a riot in the theatre. Mr. Holloway attended every play during those years, as well as many rehearsals, and talked with practically everyone who had anything to do with the theatre. His journal reflects the tensions, feuds, and anguish that produced one of the great theatres of modern times.