Cover Art and Details Revealed for Arthur Laurents' THE REST OF THE STORY

Theatre legend Arthur Laurents, who passed away earlier this year, has a final book that will soon be released by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. The book, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com, will be officially released on April 24, 2012.

The product description, as featured on Amazon is as follows: 'Laurents passed away early in 2011 but not before writing The Rest of the Story, in which he revealed all that had happened in his life since Original Story By, filled with the wisdom he gained by growing older and a new perspective brought on by Laurents' experience of deep personal loss, including the death of his longtime companion, Tom Hatcher. Laurents' style remains engrossing and brutally honest. His voice is still highly intelligent, loving, generous, and gracious. He remained committed to his artistic vision to the very end, as captured in the epilogue, which he completed only days before his death. The book ends with a loving and insightful coda by Laurent's good friend and the editor of this book, David Saint, which reveals the real story of his death.'

Laurents' first play, Home of the Brave, opened on Broadway in 1945, followed by many others. His newest play, Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, starring Shirley Knight and Alison Fraser came right on the heels of his New Year's Eve starring Marlo Thomas and Keith Carradine at his favorite theatre, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

He wrote his first musical, West Side Story, in 1957, followed by Gypsy and others. His first screenplay was The Snake Pit in 1948, followed by others including Rope, Anastasia, The Way We Were and The Turning Point. His own play, Invitation to a March in 1960, was the first of several he directed. I Can Get It for You Wholesale in 1961 was the first musical he directed, followed by others including La Cage aux Folles and Gypsy with Angela Lansbury, then Tyne Daly and most recently, Patti LuPone.

In 2000, he wrote a memoir, Original Story By. His latest book, Mainly on Directing: West Side Story, Gypsy, and Other Musicals, was published in March 2009. Most recently, he was writing a new book, The Rest of The Story and working on a potential deal for a film version of Gypsy starring Barbra Streisand.