This is the first book on the best-known of the Weill-Brecht collaborations to explore the extent and significance of the composer's contribution. Described as 'the weightiest possible lowbrow opera for highbrows and the most full-blooded highbrow musical for lowbrows' (Hans Keller), the enduringly popular Threepenny Opera has given rise not only to interpretations as numerous as they are diverse but also to new adaptations. One such is Brecht's hitherto unpublished concert version which is included here in English translation. Even the stage work generally known today departs significantly from what was performed at the premiere in 1928. After a detailed reconstruction of the work's genesis and continued revision over three decades, the editor examines the spin-offs in which the authors participated: the instrumental suite, the film, the law suit, the novel, and the musical and textual revisions of songs. In a brisk survey of the stage history, the editor pays particular attention to pioneering productions in Germany and Britain. Kim Kowalke provides an exhaustive account of the history of The Threepenny Opera in America, Geoffrey Abbott addresses questions concerning authentic performance practice, and David Drew analyzes large-scale motivic relationships in the music. Among the earlier writings on the work reprinted here, those by Theodor W. Adorno, Ernst Bloch and Walter Benjamin appear for the first time in English translation. A concluding chapter by the editor considers whether The Threepenny Opera's popularity rests, as frequently maintained, on a misunderstanding. The book contains numerous illustrations, a discography, and music examples.