Dr Faustus: The A- And B- Texts (1604, 1616): A Parallel-Text Edition

Dr Faustus, first published in 1604 long after Christopher Marlowe had died (in 1593) and then published in an expanded version in 1616, has long fascinated readers and scholars alike as one of the great puzzles in Renaissance English drama. Marlowe himself was highly controversial in his own day, and remains so today, as a daringly heterodox writer. The so-called A-text of 1604 is very short, with missing and misplaced scenes. Some passages are clearly not by Marlowe, but by some other dramatist commissioned by the theatre entrepreneur Philip Henslowe to supplement Marlowe’s incomparable tragic writing with some comic horseplay. The B-text adds a considerable amount of material from the Faustbook, padding out the story with more raucous comedy to satisfy audience longings for more magical stunts. This edition uniquely presents the two texts in facing pages, making the reader aware of the changing tastes of audiences, the stage history of the play, and of just how intricate ’editing’ a play can be.

With a concise and illuminating introduction, and relevant notes and images, this Revels Student Edition of the ’A’ and ’B’ texts of Dr Faustus will prove to be an enthralling document, and an excellent edition for student and theatre-goer alike.

David Bevington is Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus and Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Chicago

Eric Rasmussen is Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno