The official publication date is Oct. 1. If you pre-ordered the book at PlaybillStore.com you should have received it already.  The book is now in stock and available for immediate shipping.

The book is structured like a college yearbook, but covering the Broadway scene, with chapters on each show that include the contents of each show’s Playbill. The photo-packed chapters strive to include pictures of everyone who worked on the show including not just actors, but stagehands, ushers and the entire creative team. There are also production photos, photos of Broadway special events like the Tony Awards and "Gypsy of the Year," and photos of the behind-the-scenes people who make Broadway tick including the leaders of the Broadway League, BC/EFA and Actors Equity Association.

The new Yearbook covers all 81 shows that played on Broadway during the 2012-2013 season, including all 40-plus new shows that opened during that time, like Kinky Boots, Matilda The Musical, Lucky Guy and the Pippin revival; shows from last season that ran into this season, like Once; older shows from seasons past that closed during this season, like Mary Poppins; and older shows from seasons past that ran throughout this season and continue into the future (and into the next "Yearbook"), like Wicked.

Best of all, Playbill Books sought out a correspondent on each production to record a blog-like Scrapbook of life backstage on each show. Many include candid photos of the cast, including the big-name stars, at work and play.

"The 2012-2013 Playbill Yearbook, Volume 9" also includes a detailed timeline of news headlines that involved Broadway throughout the year. (Robert Viagas is executive editor of PlaybillEDU.com and editor of “The Playbill Broadway Yearbook.”)