Opera belongs to everyone. The radio broadcasts from the Metropolitan House and the spread of good recordings have greatly widened the audience for it. And its appeal knows no age limit.

Clyde Robert Bulla, a skilled spinner of words, has presented in this book twenty-three stories on which the musical dramas are based. They are so lively and direct in style that the reader has a vivid sense of "being right there" as he watches the story unfold.

The stories Mr. Bulla has selected for telling are the most popular among today's listeners. The composers represented cover the field well, from Mozart through Rossini and Gounod to Puccini and Richard Strauss.

A brief introduction to each opera gives its origin and tells about its first performance. Biographical notes about the composers add to the book’s value. 

"Clyde Bulla," writes May Hill Arbuthnot, in Elementary English, "has never written a poor story nor written a good story poorly. . . . His books refuse to be classified, so varied is his offering. But whether he is writing about historical America or a modern boy and his horse, authentic Indian lore or perfidy and courage in the days of King Arthur, each story is told with beautiful clarity and a special flavor of its own time or place."

From the dust jacket