The remarkable records of the Fuentes... series continue to shed light on the physical and cultural history of the early theatre -in Spain as elsewhere.

Professor García presents here an edition of a large corpus of unpublished documents from local archives on theatrical life in this Andalusian city during the Golden Age of Spanish drama. Like other Spanish municipal playhouses, the Casa de las comedias was leased to businessmen, and the lease-contracts form the core of the volume. They are supplemented by a rich and colourful range of information on actors, audiences, theatre finances, municipal policy and many other matters. An extensive introductory study traces the fortunes of the theatre and its lessees in detail through the documents, setting this in the context of the changing local and national picture. Professor ÁNGEL MARÍA GARCÍA GÓMEZ is Head of the Department of Spanish and Latin-American Studies at University College London.