Bradford Ropes' scandalous original novel is back after decades out of print! Here's the original adult potboiler about the needy, seedy, slangy side of that grimy gulch called Broadway, once upon a time, a twisted comic valentine to musical comedy and to every one of the human vices. It's Valley of Dolls decades before Valley of the Dolls. If you only know the film or stage musical versions, you know only the last part of this wild, outrageous novel. Now you can get the rest of the story... In Ropes' original novel, Billy Lawlor is the half-closeted boy toy of British director Julian Marsh. Leading lady Dorothy Brock is still sneaking around behind her millionaire boyfriend's back with Pat Denning, but this time, Pat is also romancing Peggy Sawyer, while also having an affair with the wife of Marsh's dance director Andy Lee, who has a succession of chorine mistresses of his own. Everybody's drinking, drugging, and screwing so much it's amazing they can get Pretty Lady ready for opening night! You won't be able to put it down. Especially if you've ever done a musical. Also included in this volume is an essay by musical theatre historian Scott Miller exploring the novel, the film, and the stage musical.