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BEN CALDWELL (1937 - ) |
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Nationality: n/a Email: n/a Website: n/a |
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Literary Agent: n/a |
Playwright, essayist, and graphic artist. Born in Harlem, New York City, one of nine children. Attended the School of Industrial Arts in New York City, with the intent of becoming a commercial artist, but left school in 1954, after the death of his father, to support his family. The author of more than 20 short plays in the black revolutionary agitprop style of the late 1960s, written largely under the influence of AMIRI BARAKA (LeRoi Jones) and his repertory group formerly known as the Spirit House Movers. Caldwell's plays have been produced at Spirit House in Newark, NJ; by the Black Arts Alliance on the West Coast; and throughout the United States, including Off-Broadway. He is the author, with Askia Muhammad Toure, of Juju (Magic Songs for the Black Nation (1970). Address (in 1988): do Third World Cultural Center, 400 E. 167th St., Bronx, NY 10456.
Plays by Ben Caldwell
All White Caste; after the seperation | ||
| 1st Produced: | OffBway by NFF, opening Nov. 23, 1973, on a program of five one-act plays, under the prodn. title "WHAT IS GOING ON" | 1973 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | in Black Drama, ed. by Woodie King, Jr. and Ron Milner, New York: Signet, 1971 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5691 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Melodrama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 1 BM, 2 WM | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Rejected by blacks and hated by whites, the white liberal becomes the "nigger" of the future, condemned to life imprisonment in a Harlem ghetto | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Family Portrait, or My Son the Black Nationalist | ||
| 1st Produced: | OffBway by NFF, opening Nov. 23, 1973, on a program of five one-act plays, under the prodn. title "WHAT IS GOING ON" | 1973 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | in New Plays from the Black Theater, ed. by Ed Bullins, New York: Bantam, 1969 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5692 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Domestic Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 2 BM, 1 BF | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The dichotomy that exists between a militant black and his parents. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Fanatic, The; or, Testifyin' | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1968 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Unpub. script in the Hatch-Billops Collection, | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5693 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Morality Play One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 1 BM, 1 WM, 1 WF, extras | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The "spirit" at a black church causes white man to confess to the evils and wrongdoings he has inflicted upon blacks | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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First Militant Preacher | ||
| 1st Produced: | New York | 2000 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #58935 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Comedy One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | begins with the sounds of a young man breaking into an apartment that he quickly realizes is that of a local preacher. While this fellow is in the midst of robbing the place, the preacher comes home and, before stopping to notice that anything is amiss, falls onto his knees to ask God for guidance about how to deal with the more militant members of his flock. The burglar, hiding in the bedroom, is only too happy to oblige; what follows is a hilarious and pointed account of how the world may have gotten its first militant preacher. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Great New York City Crisis, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | Public reading by the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop (FSWW) | 1987 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Unpub. script in the FSWW Archives/Schomburg Collection, | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #44839 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Hypnotism | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1969 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Afro-Arts Anthology, Newark, N.J.: Jihad Productions, 1966 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5694 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Didactic Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 1 BM, 1 BF, 2 WM | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Ridicules the philosophy of nonviolence as another device used by whites to "hypnotize" blacks in order to keep them under contro | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Job, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | OffBway by NFF, opening Nov. 23, 1973, on a program of five one-act plays, under the prodn. title "WHAT IS GOING ON" | 1973 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Drama Review, vol. 12, no. 4, Summer, 1968 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5695 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Ritual Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 5 BM, 2 BF, 1 WM | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | The condescending attitude of white man costs him his life | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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King Of Soul, The; or, The Devil And Otis Redding | ||
| 1st Produced: | Black Arts / West | 1970 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | in New Plays from the Black Theater, ed. by Ed Bullins, New York: Bantam, 1969 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5696 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Morality Ritual One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 6 BM, 1 WM | |||||
Notes: | written 1967 | |||||
Synopsis: | The manipulation of the career of Otis Redding and the events surrounding his death. Modern version of the Faust legend, in which a black soul singer achieves fame and fortune by making a deal with the White devil | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Love | ||
| 1st Produced: | Prod Kasisi Yusef Iman Weusi Kuumba Theatre Troupe, New York | - - - | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5697 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: |
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Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Mission Accomplished | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1967 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Drama Review, vol. 12, no. 4, Summer, 1968 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5698 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Historical Satire One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 4 BM, 1 WM, 2 WF | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Ridicules the work of white missionaries in Africa. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Moms | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1987 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #44840 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Comedy with music | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Obscene Play (for Adults Only), An | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1971 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | in Alafia, Winter, 1971 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #60647 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Prayer Meeting; or, The First Militant Minister | ||
| 1st Produced: | Spirit House Movers, Newark, N.J | 1967 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Black Fire, ed. by LeRoi Jones and Larry Neal, New York: Morrow, 1968 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5699 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Comedy One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 2 BM | |||||
Notes: | Also cited frequently by subtitle alone, and as The First Militant Preacher | |||||
Synopsis: | An "Uncle Tom" preacher is converted into a black militant by a thief posing as the voice of God. Caldwell's most popular play | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Recognition | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1968 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Unpub. script in the Hatch-Billops Collection, | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5700 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Morality Ritual One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 3-5 black voices, 2-4 white voices | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | God assesses the cause of the black man's problems and gives advice as to possible solutions | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Rights and Reason | ||
| 1st Produced: | OffBway by NFF, opening Nov. 23, 1973, on a program of five one-act plays, under the prodn. title "WHAT IS GOING ON" | 1973 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #44838 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Riot Sale; or, Dollar Psyche Fake Out | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1966 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Drama Review, vol.12, no.4, Summer, 1968 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5701 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 10-15 B, 5-10 W | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | A white policeman breaks up a mob of black freedom rioters by shooting money into the crowd | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Runaround | ||
| 1st Produced: | Third World House | 1970 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5702 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: |
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Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Top Secret; or, A Few Million After BC | ||
| 1st Produced: | PASLA (the Performing Arts Soc. of Los Angeles) | 1969 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Drama Review, vol. 12, no. 4, Summer, 1968 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5703 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 6 BM | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Criticizes birth-control (B.C.) schemes as devices used by whites to eliminate the black population. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Un-Presidential; or, What Needs To Be Done | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1968 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5704 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Drama One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 3 BM, 6-8 WM | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Spokesman for civil rights group has a bold and surprising confrontation with U. S. president | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Wall, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | - - - | 1967 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | Scripts, vol. I, no. 7, May, 1972 | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5705 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | One Act | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | 3 BM, 2 BF, 2 WM, 1 WF, teenagers | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | Concerns a grafitti wall and its different effects on blacks and whites. | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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What Is Going On | ||
| 1st Produced: | NFT, New York | 1973 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5706 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | n/a | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: |
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Further Reference: | - | |||||
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World of Ben Caldwell, The | ||
| 1st Produced: | Off-Bway by NFT | 1982 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #60646 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | series of skits and monologues, making a full length prodn | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | - | |||||
Notes: | - | |||||
Synopsis: | n/a | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow | ||
| 1st Produced: | Weusi Kuumba Troupe, The East, New York | 1974 | ||||
Company: | n/a | |||||
| 1st Published: | I don't think it has been published. Try emailing Playwright or Agent where listed at top of page. | ISBN/ASIN: | - | |||
| Music: | - | doollee no | #5707 | |||
To Buy This Play: | If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies | |||||
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Genre: | Historical Didactic Play | |||||
| Parts: | Male | - | Female | - | ||
Parts other: | large black | |||||
Notes: | written by Ben Caldwell and Yusef Iman | |||||
Synopsis: | A presentation of the black experience-past, present, and future. Subtitled: The 7 Principles | |||||
Further Reference: | - | |||||
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