Volume IV of the Collected Works of John Ford is the first of two volumes in the series to contain his sole-authored plays. It contains three of his most celebrated plays: ''Tis Pity She''s a Whore (1622), The Lovers'' Melancholy (1628), and The Broken Heart (1629), as well as the less well-known The Queen (1629). The volume opens with a general introduction to Ford''s work as a sole author by Sir Brian Vickers and each play is given a detailed introduction emphasizing Ford''s linguistic creativity and his effective use of the indoor private theatres. Authoritative old-spelling texts, freshly edited from the original quartos with full textual collations, are accompanied by a full commentary on all aspects of the plays, from archaic or obsolete words to classical allusions and historical references to people, places, and social customs.
