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a scene from the MASTERPIECE adaption of Jane Austen’s Emma.

David Venni/BBC for MASTERPIECE

a scene from the MASTERPIECE adaption of The Diary of Anne Frank.

Darlow Smithson Productions for MASTERPIECE

MASTERPIECE Turns 40!

Gay Mohrbacher | January 04, 2011

Many of us have spent countless Sunday evenings engrossed in a great plot, gorgeous costumes, evocative settings, and witty dialogue—in short, watching MASTERPIECE on PBS. It’s the longest-running, most-honored drama series on primetime television—known for its high-quality adaptations of classic works by authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Eliot, and James as well as more contemporary literature and mysteries.

What you may not know is that the MASTERPIECE Web site offers rich, feature-filled pages for each program it airs as well as a wealth of online resources for librarians and teachers. The team behind the series has always considered librarians to be an important audience. They know that MASTERPIECE films help people appreciate, read, and re-read books that the films are based on. They also know that libraries are often the cultural centerpiece of the community—as a gathering place as well as a source for books, DVDs, and more.

Your patrons love to read and love watching movies, so why not bring their passion for both together? A MASTERPIECE Book and Film Club combines the appeal of a book group with the opportunity to be a film critic. The Book and Film Club guides provide everything you need to create a club at your library, or for you to offer to the many book groups in your area. More than twenty-five guides, sorted by title or author, provide discussion questions, author bios, background essays, activities, and occasionally recipes.

This month marks MASTERPIECE’s 40th anniversary, and in honor of the event, librarians can purchase MASTERPIECE films at a 15% discount all year long at Shop PBS by using the code BOOKANDFILM during checkout. Every purchase supports public television.

Want to know more about upcoming shows and resources? Sign up for the MASTERPIECE e-newsletter. You can also connect with other Masterpiece fans on Facebook and Twitter.

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Gay Mohrbacher is Educational Outreach Project Director for WGBH, Boston’s public broadcasting station.

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