18 NOVEMBER 1899, Page 13

A History of English Dramatic Literature. By A. W. Ward.

3 vols. (Macmillan and Co. 36s.)—The first edition of this elaborate history, issued nearly a quarter of a century ago, has long proved itself an indispensable book of reference to every student of our dramatic literature, and at this date it is superfluous to praise it But attention ought to be called to the fact that the second edition has been entirely revised; an enormous amount of new information has come to light in the meanwhile through the labours of such Elizabethan students as Mr. Arthur Bullets and Mr. Sidney Lee, and this has been taken count of; while the writer's maturer judgment has led him to recast much of the old criticism. We may say that an indispensable book has been rendered more indispensable than ever.