This is a new selection of five English nineteenth-century plays, none of which has been recently available: in the case of The Lights o'London, a famous drama of the 1880s, no printed text has ever before been published. Each of the plays represents vividly and masterfully the three dominantdramatic forms of the Victorian era: melodrama, farce, and comedy. All were extremely popular with audiences, and much of the vigour, excitement, and variety of dramatic expression of their time can be found in these texts. this volume significantly enlarges the choice of period playtextsavailable to actors, directors, and students.Under the General Editorship of Michael Cordner, of the University of York, the texts of the plays have been newly edited and are supplemented with a scholarly introduction and detailed annotation.