''Historia Histrionica'' is a

1699 Events January–March * January 5 – A violent Java earthquake damages the city of Batavia on the Indonesian island of Java, killing at least 28 people * January 20 – The Parliament of England (under Tory dominance) limits the size ...

literary work by James Wright (1643-1713), on the subject of theatre in England in the seventeenth century. It is an essential resource for information on the actors and theatrical life of the period, providing data available nowhere else. The work's full title is ''Historia Histrionica: An historical account of the English stage shewing the ancient use, improvement, and perfection of dramatick representations in this nation. In a dialogue of plays and players.'' The original 1699

octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...

edition, published anonymously, was printed by G. Groom for the bookseller William Hawes. (His shop was at the sign of the Rose, in Ludgate Street.) As its title indicates, the work is cast in the form of a dialogue between two abstract figures, Lovewit and Trueman; Trueman imparts to Lovewit (and to the reader) his knowledge of theatrical matters. The author, James Wright (1643–1713), was an attorney and occasional poet, and a collector of old plays. Along with

Gerard Langbaine Gerard Langbaine (15 July 1656 – 23 June 1692) was an English dramatic biographer and critic, best known for his ''An Account of the English Dramatic Poets'' (1691), the earliest work to give biographical and critical information on the playwrig ...

and John Downes, Wright was one of the earliest historians of British theatre. ''Historia Histrionica'' was reprinted in the twelfth volume of

Robert Dodsley Robert Dodsley (13 February 1703 – 23 September 1764) was an English bookseller, publisher, poet, playwright, and miscellaneous writer. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. H ...

's collection of old plays, and included in subsequent editions of that work. Wright's essay remains a valuable resource for modern scholars of the subject and the period.Paul Menzer, ed., ''Inside Shakespeare: Essays on the Blackfriars Stage'', Selinsgrove, PA, Susquehanna University Press, 2006; pp. 54-5, 60. James Wright also published ''Country Conversations'' (1694), in which he compares late seventeenth-century theatre to earlier theatre by Shakespeare, Jonson, Massinger, and others.

References

1699 books 17th-century history books Non-fiction books about theatre Theatre in England History of theatre 17th-century theatre {{theatre-hist-stub