The Rivals and Polly Honeycombe (Broadview Editions)
"These two comedies, about 'novel-reading girls gone wild,' make for an inspired pairing; in this edition, David A. Brewer makes the pairing pay off handsomely. With its revelatory illustrations, its deft notes, its brief biographies of the plays' original performers, its varied and very amusing supplementary readings, and its ingenious, down-to-earth introduction, Brewer's edition does the best job I've seen of getting readers not only through the plays but to the playhouse: of helping them to imagine the daily experiences—of work and leisure, print and public life—that shaped both actors and audiences, and that inflected their interactions during the first runs of these two hugely entertaining shows." (Stuart Sherman, Fordham University)"David A. Brewer's new edition of The Rivals and Polly Honeycombe is a fantastic resource for scholars and students studying eighteenth-century British literature and culture. The plays are, in themselves, two of the most entertaining works of the period, and they remain remarkably relevant for our own time, given their focus on the impact of popular culture. But what really make this edition stand out are the editorial apparatus and the rich historical and visual materials provided in the introduction and appendices. This edition can’t teach itself, but it will certainly help others teach this material to best effect." (Matthew J. Kinservik, University of Delaware)