Soon after her death Lady Gregory seemed to be virtually forgotten, and the words on her gravestone - 'she shall be remembered for ever' - had a very hollow ring about them. It has only been in the last fifty years that Lady Gregory's reputation has turned round, beginning with Elizabeth Coxhead's biography, and the subsequent appearance of the Coole Edition of her works. The publication of Mary Lou Kohfeldt's biography in 1985 and now the appearance of this volume - the first collection of essays to be devoted to her - must surely create a greater awareness of her importance as a cornerstone of the Irish Literary Revival. Her books and plays, together with her work for the Abbey as manager, playwright, play-reader and fund-raiser, have had an influence on the literary life of Ireland in the first half of this century that has been greatly underestimated.