Dion Boucicault was a witty, selfish and deceitful charmer, a bigamist, a profligate spendthrift and the author of dozens of successful plays, only a handful of which endure. Among these his early comedies influenced Oscar Wilde, and his Irish melodramas Shaw, Synge, and O''Casey. London Assurance was his first success, a ''modern comedy'' which opened at Covent Garden in 1841 and was the hit of the season.

This is the first fully-annotated edition of the play, and it includes an outline of the author''s amazing career, an account of the play''s composition, and a critical introduction.