[_General Bibliographical Note._ The few books here named are mainly those whose range is sufficiently wide to cover the greater part of my own ground. Others, more limited in their scope, are reserved for mention in the preliminary notes to the chapters upon whose subject-matter they directly bear; and in particular the bibliography of the drama, as distinct from the stage, receives full treatment in Book V. The scanty Restoration notices of the pre-Restoration stage are to be found in R. Flecknoe, _A Short Discourse of the English Stage_ (1664), the anonymous _Historia Histrionica_ (1699) ascribed to James Wright, and J. Downes, _Roscius Anglicanus_ (1708). W. R. Chetwood's _General History of the Stage_ (1749) is of no value, and its honesty is suspect. The first scholar to attempt a systematic history was E. Malone, in his _Account of our Ancient Theatres_ (1790) and _Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the English Stage_ (1790), of which a revised version, with much fresh matter, was included by J. Boswell in the _Third Variorum Shakespeare_ (1821). Something was added by G. Chalmers in the _Account of the Rise and Progress of the English Stage_ which forms part of his _Apology for the Believers in the Shakspeare-Papers_ (1797), and in an enlarged shape of his _Supplemental Apology_ (1799). The first edition of J. P. Collier's _History of English Dramatic Poetry and Annals of the Stage_ appeared in 1831. Thereafter Collier made many further contributions to the subject, in the publications of the _Shakespeare Society_, and in his _New Facts regarding the Life of Shakespeare_ (1835), _New Particulars regarding the Works of Shakespeare_ (1836), and _Farther Particulars regarding Shakespeare and his Works_ (1839). These abound in forgeries, of which some are analysed in C. M. Ingleby, _A Complete View of the Shakspere Controversy_ (1861), and which have not all been excluded from the current edition of the _History_ (1879). Some new ground was broken by F. G. Fleay, who gave real stimulus to investigation by the series of hasty generalizations and unstable hypotheses contained in his _On the Actor Lists, 1578-1642_ (_R. H. Soc. Trans._ ix. 44), _On the History of Theatres in London, 1576-1642_ (_R. H. Soc. Trans._ x. 114), _Shakespeare Manual_ (1876, 1878), _Introduction to Shakespearian Study_ (1877), _Life and Work of Shakespeare_ (1886), _Chronicle History of the London Stage_ (1890), and _Biographical Chronicle of the English Drama_ (1891). Little is added to or corrected in Fleay by H. Maas, _Äussere Geschichte der englischen Theatertruppen_ (1907). Some useful documents were brought together by W. C. Hazlitt, _The English Drama and Stage under the Tudor and Stuart Princes_ (1869). An interesting account from the French point of view is given of the earlier part of the period by J. J. Jusserand, _Le Théâtre en Angleterre depuis la Conquête jusqu'aux prédécesseurs immédiats de Shakespeare_ (1878, 1881). R. A. Small, _The Stage-quarrel between Ben Jonson and the So-called Poetasters_ (1899), and G. P. Baker, _The Development of Shakespeare as a Dramatist_ (1907), are also valuable studies. Light is thrown upon stage-history by other specialist books about Shakespeare, particularly J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, _Outlines of the Life of Shakespeare_ (1881, 1890), and S. Lee, _Life of William Shakespeare_ (1898, 1915, 1922). In recent years fresh material has been brought together by various researchers, notably by J. T. Murray in _English Dramatic Companies_ (1910) and by C. W. Wallace in _The Children of the Chapel at Blackfriars_ (1908), _The Evolution of the English Drama up to Shakespeare_ (1912), and in a number of papers in the _Nebraska University Studies_ and elsewhere. The Dulwich documents originally published by J. P. Collier in _Memoirs of Edward Alleyn_ (1841), _Alleyn Papers_ (1843), and _Henslowe's Diary_ (1845) have been more scientifically edited by W. W. Greg in _Henslowe's Diary_ (1904-8) and _Henslowe Papers_ (1907), and the _Extracts from Accounts of Revels at Court_ (1842) by P. Cunningham have been superseded and supplemented by A. Feuillerat, _Documents relating to the Office of the Revels in the Time of Queen Elizabeth_ (1908) and _Documents relating to the Revels at Court in the Time of King Edward VI and Queen Mary_ (1914). The work of gathering together miscellaneous documents and studies passed from _The Shakespeare Society's Papers_ (1844-9) to the _Transactions of the New Shakspere Society_ (1874-92), and is now carried on by the _Collections_ (1907-13) of the _Malone Society_. A summary of both the older and the recent learning will be found in A. H. Thorndike, _Shakespeare's Theater_ (1916), and a full account of the theatres in J. Q.