Congreve's list emphasizes collected editions, especially for plays, and contains very few quartos. When he collected his works in three volumes in 1710, he apparently destroyed (at least he did not list) the earlier editions of his plays in quarto. He loved to write such ballads as the racy "Jack French-Man's Defeat," but he never recognized these by including them in his book list or in his collected works; nor did he list his youthful novel _Incognita_ (1691), if indeed he had a copy of it. Such omissions were later made by men with much greater novels to their credit. In the sales catalogues listing the books of Defoe and Fielding, one looks in vain for _Robinson Crusoe_ or _Tom Jones_.
But perhaps most important is the information given by the list about Congreve's special fields of interest and the fact that the list provides likely sources for his literary work. Mention should be made of his fine collection of drama (Greek, Roman, French, and English); of some one hundred titles of literary criticism; of nearly as many carefully selected works in biography and history; of a choice collection of thirty travel books and somewhat smaller lots in medicine, music, and cookery. Many of the books might be classified under religion and philosophy. The poets, both English and foreign, are well represented. And surprisingly enough, there are more than one hundred items of prose fiction, chiefly French. The influence of this fiction, if any, on Congreve's own _Incognita_, and the influence of the literary criticism on his essay _Concerning Humour in Comedy_, are only two of many studies that might be based on Congreve's book list. Perhaps someone will use the works on astrology to help account for one of his humorous characters, old Foresight of _Love for Love_. Since many of the 659 items consist of collected works, the library is actually more extensive than the number of items might indicate. Jacob Tonson had good reason for wanting his nephew to buy Congreve's "genteel & well chosen" library.
The editor is deeply grateful to the many librarians on both sides of the Atlantic and to others who have generously assisted in the preparation of this study. A grant from the American Philosophical Society in 1949 made possible the search which incidentally turned up Congreve's manuscript book list, and grants from the Henry E. Huntington Memorial Library (1951) and the Folger Shakespeare Library (1952) provided time and rare faculties for the editing.