William Douglas Home, scion of an old, aristocratic Scottish family, has written a substantial body of plays for the English stage. His versatility is manifest, and the quality of his plays, while uneven, is generally high. Three or four of his best plays are likely to remain in the permanent repertoire for summer stock, as well as for London revivals. A few of his later works, most notably The Kingfisher (1977), have also been extremely successful in New York and on tour in the United States.

Home was born in Edinburgh, fifth child of a prominent Scottish family. His father was the thirteenth earl of Home and his mother, Lilian Lambton Home, was the daughter of the fourth earl of Durham. Upon his father's death in 1951 the title fell to William's elder brother Alec, who was British prime minister in the Conservative government during 1963-1964 and foreign secretary for...