Our Town and the Cosmic One-Acts: The Long Christmas Dinner, The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, and Pullman Car Hiawatha

by Thornton Wilder

“Thornton Wilder will survive. . . as long as there are people around who are willing to sit in something called a theater and be reminded of their common humanity.” —New York Times

A beautifully designed special edition of Thornton Wilder’s beloved masterpiece Our Town, together with three astonishing one-act plays that reach across space and time, redefining what theater can be.

An American classic for nearly a century, Our Town, set in the mythical village of Grover’s Corners, is the story of a love affair that asks timeless questions about love, life, and death. It explores the relationship between young neighbors George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, then marriage. With poignancy and loving irony, this landmark of world drama, hailed by everyone from Edward Albee to Albert Einstein, shows what it means to appreciate life while we’re living it, and considers what awaits us after that.

This exclusive edition also includes three of Wilder’s acclaimed one-act plays, which he called “cosmic”: The Long Christmas Dinner, The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, and Pullman Car Hiawatha. Like Our Town, these breathtakingly original works are stripped to their essence, revealing vital truths about life and humanity. As Jeremy McCarter, literary executor of the Wilder Estate, writes in his foreword, “no American dramatist has done a more compact job of placing the minutiae of our daily routines alongside the vast mysteries of existence, and asking us to consider the relationship between them.”

The Long Christmas Dinner traces ninety years in the life of the Bayard family over the course of a single holiday meal. As generations appear, have children, grow old, and depart, only the audience appreciates what changes and what endures.

The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden dramatizes a family’s drive across New Jersey to visit their daughter—a simple trip with a devastating twist. Their journey is punctuated by laughter, memories, and little glimpses of everyday life—the fragile joys of being alive.

Pullman Car Hiawatha is set aboard a train traveling from New York to Chicago in December 1930. As the diverse band of passengers races across America at night, Wilder takes the audience on a metaphorical journey through time, space, life, and death.

These groundbreaking one-act plays were originally published in 1931 and blazed the trail for Our Town seven years later. Published together in this volume, the four masterpieces offer a fresh way to enjoy the singular genius and cosmic imagination of Thornton Wilder.

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.

For more see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton...

Reviews

[Tara ✨booksbeersbattlestargalactica✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often considered an American classic, 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏 is a quiet but powerful exploration of love, life, and mortality. This special edition also included three one-act plays that echo those same themes: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑫𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒅𝒆𝒏, and 𝑷𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝒂𝒓 𝑯𝒊𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂.

I don’t read a ton of plays, but this one came recommended by my husband who was actually in a production of 𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑻𝒐𝒘𝒏, so imagining him in those scenes made the experience even more enjoyable 🥰 I was fond of all four pieces, but 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝑫𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 stood out as my favorite. Overall, this was a thoughtful, reflective read and a really nice palate cleanser.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Our Town' is an icon (some would say chestnut) of the American theater. It's structure and style seem unique among plays of the 20th century. It is as if it came out of nowhere.

This book shows you where it came from.

In the late 1920s and early 30s Wilder wrote a series of short one act plays, dealing with the big issues of love, death and remembrance. Like in 'Our Town', they often featured a Stage Manager and a set design so minimal that people used imaginary props and often only needed a chair to sit in. Like in 'Our Town', time often passes quickly (90 years in 'The Long Christmas Dinner').

And like in 'Our Town', people reflect on how fast time went by, and how poignant life is, even if they don't realize it in the moment. Emily's unforgettable final speech in 'Our Town' is prefigured by similar sentiments (and an almost identical speech by one character).

The three one act plays in this book, accompanying a full script from 'Our Town', is an invaluable guide to how Wilder worked out the themes and style in shorter form, to be blended into the masterpiece that we've come to know as an enduring work of American theater.

One act plays are difficult creatures; nobody really knows what to do with them. 'Our Town' is so famous, though, that I wish someone artistic director would stage a production featuring these three short plays. I'm sure audiences would get the resonances. It would be a memorable night of theater.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read Our Town prior to reading this edition. However, I read Tom Lake two years ago and loved all of the references to this play. I’m so glad I finally picked it up. This play is about love and death and grief and life and time. I read this in one day and I want to go back and read it again. My favorite was Emily’s monologue at the end.

I also really enjoyed the one acts included in this edition. My favorite was The Long Christmas Dinner, which was a perfect read for the holidays.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Our Town prior to picking up Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake last year because of the connection between the play and novel. I’m grateful for this special edition copy of the beloved classic play I highly recommend. I also read The Long Christmas Dinner, perfect timing for the holidays, and found it just as profound as Our Town.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Red Book Review · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank You to Harper Perennial for this free book in exchange for my honest review of Our Town and the Cosmic One-Acts by Thornton Wilder.
This book has 3 one-act plays that I had wanted to like but didn't. This was hard to follow for me and I just couldn't get into this one. I did enjoy one of the plays in this, but the others I did not. Sadly, this one was not for me, but I would still suggest this to other readers to try that enjoy plays.

[Francesca Palamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved the pulitzer prize winning play: Our Town. It was so special being able to read Wilder’s plays for the first time.