A Register of English Theatrical Documents: 1660-1737, Volumes 1 & 2

This significant reference work is an unprecedented attempt to compile a chronological list of all documents related to the management and regulation of the theatres in England from the reopening of the playhouses in 1660 to the Licensing Act of 1737.

Each of the more than four thousand entries includes the date, the location, a descriptive title, and a quotation from or a brief description of the item plus reference to other copies or printed transcriptions.

The documents are various: lawsuits and the Lord Chamberlain’s manuscripts in the Public Record Office in London; manuscripts in the British Library and in the Bodleian, Folger, Huntington, and Harvard theatre collections, as well as other repositories; printed letters and pamphlets associated with particular dates or productions; and newspaper and magazine items not related to specific performances (which are covered in The London Stage).

In addition to the entries, the book includes a preface, an introduction, a list of abbreviations, five appendixes, and an exhaustive index keyed to item numbers.