The 18th-century playwrights covered in this volume were born between 1699 and 1762. They left a large repertory of plays that remained popular until well into the 20th-century. Such standards as Sheridans The Rivals (1775) and Goldsmiths She Stoops to Conquer (1773) are a regular part of English and American theater. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this era is the dominance of actor-playwrights, and even actor-playwright-managers. These artists knew how to please their audiences, then and today. 8 entries include: Isaac John Bickerstaff, James Boaden, Hannah Cowley, Samuel Foote, Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Holcroft, John OKeefe, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan.