Alan Patrick Herbert, recognized by the familiar initials A. P. H., wrote more than fifty books: musical comedies, novels, plays, light verse, reviews, and articles. A versatile author, he charmed a nation for more than fifty years with his humorous satirical wit. He was known as well for his earnest and serious pleas for social reform. His interests ranged from championing minority causes to composing witty rhymes, playing the organ to playing lawn tennis, amusing his friends with his banter to arguing a legal point with impeccable logic before his fellow members of the House of Commons. While he will be best remembered as a humorist whose name for years was synonymous with the magazine Punch, he will not be forgotten for the contributions he made to the theater, especially to light opera or, as he preferred to call that form, musical comedy. He wrote fifteen full-length musical...