The companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland : from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 / / composed in the form of a dictionary, for the more readily turning to any particular author, or performance ; in two volumes ....

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The companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland : from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 / / composed in the form of a dictionary, for the more readily turning to any particular author, or performance ; in two volumes ....

Baker, David Erskine, 1730-1767, compiler.

The companion to the play-house, or, An historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland : from the commencement of our theatrical exhibitions, down to the present year 1764 / / composed in the form of a dictionary, for the more readily turning to any particular author, or performance ; in two volumes ....

London : Printed for T. Becket and P.A. Dehondt, in the Strand : C. Henderson, at the Royal Exchange : and T. Davies, in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden, 1764.

2 volumes ; 18 cm (12mo)

Published anonymously. Attributed to David Erskine Baker in the English short title catalogue.

A second edition (1782) and a third (1812) were issued under title: Biographia dramatica.

Text in double columns.

Head- and tail-pieces; intials.

Collation: volume I. A6 b-c6 d6 (-D6) B-2E6 (leaf 2E6 blank); volume II. pi1 A-2H6 2I4 (leaf 2I4 blank).

Volume I. Contains, a critical and historical account of every tragedy, comedy, farce, &c. in the English language. The respective merits of each piece ; and of the actors who performed the principal characters, are particularly examined and pointed out -- Volume II. Contains, the lives and productions of every dramatic writer for the English or Irish theatres, including not only all those memoirs that have been formerly written, but also a great number of new lives and curious anecdotes never before communicated to the public. Also the lives of our most celebrated actors, who were likewise authors of any theatrical composition from Shakespeare and Johnson, down to the present times.

Cited/Indexed in:

English short title catalogue T77488

SCDIRB copy (v. 1, 39088019378371; v. 2, 39088019378413) has provenance: Jno. Mumford 1780 (autograph in ink on front free endpaper of each volume); John Watts de Peyster, LLD. (bookplate on front paste-down endpaper of each volume).

SCDIRB copy has contemporary gilt-tooled full leather bindings with raised bands and marbled endpapers, and green silk ribbon page markers. Both of the final blank leaves were still present at time of recataloging (June 2017).

English drama -- Bio-bibliography -- Early works to 1800.

Theater -- England -- Early works to 1800.

Theater -- Ireland -- Early works to 1800.

Bio-bibliography.

Becket, Thomas, publisher.

De Hondt, P. A. (Peter Abraham), publisher.

Henderson, Christopher, publisher.

Davies, Thomas, 1713-1785, publisher.

De Peyster, J. Watts (John Watts), 1821-1907, former owner.

Mumford, Jno., active 1780, former owner.

Companion to the play-house

Historical account of all the dramatic writers (and their works) that have appeared in Great Britain and Ireland

Caption title on leaf B1 recto of volume 1: Play-house dictionary

Catalog Source No.:

(OCoLC)ocm00788775

Horizon Information Portal 3.24_7488

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