"This series presents students with a library of outstanding plays, many of which are otherwise unobtainable, or available only in out-of-date or unannotated editions. The texts are newly edited, with modernized spelling and punctuation where appropriate; and there are scholarly introductions and annotation."--BOOK JACKET. "Ford wrote darkly about sexual and political passion, despair, thwarted ambition, and incest. This selection also shows his ability to portray the poignancy of love and to write entertaining comedy and create convincing roles for women. His Annabella, Hippolita, Penthea, Calantha, and Katherine Gordon rank among the most dramatically powerful female characters on the post-Shakespearian stage."--BOOK JACKET. "Setting Ford's earliest surviving independently-written play, The Lover's Melancholy, alongside his three best-known works, this edition includes an introduction, with sections on each play addressing gender issues, modern relevance, and staging possibilities."--BOOK JACKET.