One would not be remiss in thinking that the appeal of an edition of Thelwall's plays would be limited to Thelwall specialists, or scholars of Romantic theatre history. But in their general introduction, the editors, Michael Scrivener and Frank Felsenstein, insist that both plays also "strike a peculiarly contemporary note" (18) in the ways in which they engage with issues of race, social reform, and intellecutal property. I think the editors are right, and for that reason, as well as for the high quality of the edition, they should be thanks and praised.
All in all, this is a very fine scholarly edition. The texts are nicely arranged and scrupulously edited, with notes and variants set discreetly at the end of each. Given the resurgence of interest in Thelwall of late, this edition is also timely. Critics of Romantic drama and historians of English radicalism will also find much to admire in it.
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