Konstantin Stanislavsky is one of the colossi not simply of Russian, but American and European theatre. His reputation is based mainly on his famous theory of acting and its application in practice. This volume contains his posthumous work, The System and Methods of Creative Art, together with an introductory essay giving a careful exposition and a critical analysis of his 'system', and two appendices dealing with his views on stage ethics and melodrama. It provides an excellent opportunity for the study of 'the essential Stanislavsky' in a comprehensive and compact form.