The material includes a few unpublished typescripts, first editions and inscribed books from Jules Verne and Thornton Wilder.

FORBES: Got 200K? Buy Steinbeck's Library

As for Thornton Wilder's "Our Town, " it's usually performed by some two dozen actors, and the original 1938 Broadway production fielded a cast of 51.

WSJ: Theater Once Drew Crowds Onstage, Too | Sightings by Terry Teachout

The 47-year-old Mr. Cromer, who won a MacArthur "genius grant" in 2010, may be best known for his off-Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town, " the longest run in the play's history.

WSJ: David Cromer's 'Tribes': A Director Reveals His Motivation

ABSTRACT:A CRITIC AT LARGE about Thornton Wilder.

NEWYORKER: Man of Letters