In his ably written introduction to the first edition of this work,
Mr. John Malone makes the following statement: "It may be set down as
a safe rule of judgment as to dramatic quality that the plays which
were printed were fit for no more than the use to which an indulgent
Providence and the Dunlap Society have dedicated them--to serve as
examples of the good-will and sympathy with which a few great and
good men in the days of our country's fiery trial held out their
helping hands to the gentle art of drama."
This statement, with a possible exception or two, is in the main
correct. Few of the plays which are here catalogued have survived
because of their literary excellence. We, however, must not look at
the contents of this book from this view-point, but rather from the
historical. Poorly written as many of the plays may be, they still
possess to the student of American history an interest which far
exceeds that of every other class of writing, the purely historical
excepted. The _first_ play written by a resident of what is now the
United States was _Androboros_ (the Man-Hater) written by Robert
Hunter, Colonial Governor of New York, assisted by Lewis Morris. This
play, or rather dramatic satire, was written to ridicule sundry
residents of that colony, principally Dr. Vesey and several members
of Trinity Church. This play, which was issued in 1714, was not
followed by another dramatic production, as far as known, until _The
Suspected Daughter_, a farce by "T. T.," was printed at Boston in
1751. Who "T. T." was is not known, nor can I trace a copy of the
play. Little of importance came to light previous to the Revolution,
but that event, stirring as it was, seems to have been a stimulant to
native ambition, and a number of dramatic productions were written
and printed. Among these may be mentioned _The Battle of Bunker Hill_
and _The Death of Montgomery_ by Brackenridge, then a schoolmaster;
_The Adulateur_ and _The Group_ by Mercy Warren, afterwards well
known as one of the foremost dames of the colonies; and several
others, some from the Royalist side, as Sewell's _Cure for the
Spleen_ and an anonymous production, _The Battle of Long Island_.
The second war with England was also celebrated by our early
playwrights, as was the war with Tripoli.
The dramatic history of no country would be complete which did not
celebrate the deeds and warlike exploits of its aboriginal
inhabitants, and the American dramatist was not slow in recognizing
the many-sided character of the North American Indian. His wars, his
fluent oratory, his virtues, are all told, the best of these efforts
being embodied in Stone's _Metamora_, made famous by the acting of
Edwin Forrest.
But all of the dramatic productions which were written prior to 1830
did not relate to America, and a glance over the list will show many
plays which take for their groundwork the French Revolution, the
Napoleonic Wars, the Russian Empire and its people, while Love, that
mysterious something which lays its finger upon all whether we will
or no, is found, as in our fiction, in nearly all of them. What the
dramatist, poet, and novelist would do without the help of the fickle
goddess is an unsolvable problem.
As will be seen by a glance at the contents of this volume, few of
the plays were acted, nor were many of them intended for public
entertainment. A large number were written to serve a
purpose--political or otherwise--and when that had been attained,
were forgotten, even by their authors.
They show, however, what was and could be accomplished in this way,
at a time when the average citizen had little time for aught but
earnest, sober thought.
When looked at from this view-point we must really wonder that as
much remains as has been discovered. Can any country besides ours
show a better result--at least for quantity, if not for quality?
Among the interesting facts which will be discovered by a perusal of
this list is that a number of the writers of early American plays
were men who achieved success in other callings. Thus we find among
those who found time to interest themselves in the drama and the
production of plays, the names of Judge H. H. Brackenridge, Charles
Brockden Browne, the first American novelist, Edward Hitchcock,
President of Amherst and foremost among the scientists of his era,
David Humphreys, Revolutionary soldier and diplomat, John Neal, the
friend of Poe, Jas. G. Percival, the poet, Jas. K. Paulding, coworker
with Irving, Royall Tyler, and Samuel Woodworth, author of _The Old
Oaken Bucket_.
This edition is issued at the solicitation of a number of collectors
and librarians, who were unable to obtain a copy of the first
edition, which was issued for members of The Dunlap Society in 1900.
I have endeavored to make this list as complete as possible, and it
has been to me a labor of the greatest interest. Nothing that I have
ever attempted in bibliographical work has given me more pleasure.
Numerous corrections will be found by comparison with the earlier
edition, and upwards of sixty new titles are included, discovered
since the issue of the earlier volume.
Errors will, of course, be discovered, but I ask indulgence in those
who find them, for as all who are interested will readily admit, no
bibliographical work was ever perfect.
Probably the most complete collection of early American plays, at
this writing in the hands of a private collector, is that owned by
Evert Jansen Wendell, Esq., of New York. Several of the titles
contained in this volume would be unknown to me at this time but for
the kindness of Mr. Wendell, who has given me the opportunity to
examine his collection. Another good collection is owned by the Brown
University Library, Providence, R. I.