George Lillo's domestic tragedies provided the impetus for the development of new forms of serious drama during and after the eighteenth century, on the Continent as well as in the English-speaking theatre. This edition makes available for the first time all of the plays known or thought to have been written by the playwright, in reliable old-spelling texts following modern bibliographical principles. Some have not been reprinted since 1810. Even the much-studied London Merchant has not previously been published in an edition that recognizes the errors contained in the first edition and the authorial revisions introduced in early reprints.

The introduction to each play treats its sources, histories of publication and reception in the theatre, and textual problems. The apparatus criticus and historical collations provide full bibliographical detail. Commentary notes discuss the author's use or adaptation of sources and furnish information about links among his own plays, topical background, and literary allusions. Steffensen edition makes possible an informed awareness of Lillo's lesser-known plays in a variety of genres, as an enlightening context for further study of these influential domestic dramas.