Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981–2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2011. The volume covers the shows from Sunday in the Park with George (1984) through Road Show (2008), plus unfinished projects and miscellaneous lyrics.
This volume contains Sondheim’s greatest work: the lyrics for Sunday in the Park, Into the Woods, Assassins, and Passion. His annotations grow more expansive and more personal — the distinction between principle and grudge becomes harder to maintain as he discusses shows that wounded him commercially (Assassins’ original Off-Broadway run, Passion’s hostile audiences) while vindicating him artistically.
The “grudges” are entertainingly specific: Sondheim names critics whose reviews he considered stupid, collaborators whose work disappointed him, and producers who made destructive demands. But the core of the book remains pedagogical: how to write lyrics that serve drama, that reveal character through seemingly casual word choice, that make the audience feel before they think.
Collecting Look, I Made a Hat
First edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2011): Hardcover with dust jacket, illustrated.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $25–$60
- Very good: $12–$25
- Signed copies: $80–$250