This edition contains the three most important works of Charles Reade (1814–1884). Reade adapted the social purpose and concern for detail of the realistic novel to the stage. He was much concerned with poverty, the brutality of the prison regime of his time and the abuse of mental asylums. He assigned a specially important role to women in his plays, choosing to write for the charismatic actresses of his day. Masks and Faces (1852) is concerned with the public image and private life of a leading Covent Garden actress; The Courier of Lyons (1854) is based upon a real case of mistaken identity; and It Is Never Too Late to Mend (1865) describes the legal and financial oppression of poor English farming folk. All these plays were very popular and successful, performed and revived many times. Dr Hammet provides alongside them an informative introduction, notes on the text, a short biography of Reade, a full list of his plays and productions, and a bibliography.