The Dramatic Works of John Dryden, Volume 1 / With a Life of the Author

This edition gathers the dramatic writings of John Dryden and a biographical Life by Sir Walter Scott, accompanied by an editor's preface explaining principles of textual revision. The editor adopts first editions as the base, modernizes orthography and punctuation for contemporary readers, restores or corrects readings where needed, and includes supplementary material such as letters, a bibliography, notes, and appendices. Two plays of disputed authorship are printed for comparison, and editorial apparatus distinguishes original annotations from later commentary. The Life offers limited new documentary material, while the overall aim is to present the author faithfully to modern readers rather than to advance extensive critical argument.