Sources of John Dryden’s Comedies by Ned Bliss Allen, published by the University of Michigan Press in 1935, delves into the relatively understudied aspect of John Dryden’s literary work—his comedies. While Dryden's poetry and essays have been extensively analyzed, his comedies have often been overlooked or only briefly mentioned in broader biographical and critical works. This book seeks to fill that gap by thoroughly examining the sources, influences, and critical reception of Dryden's comedic plays. The early chapters discuss notable critical works and editors, such as Gerard Langbaine, Samuel Johnson, and Sir Walter Scott, who have touched upon Dryden’s comedies but without comprehensive analysis. The book also critiques 19th and 20th-century opinions, including those by Macaulay, who disapproved of Dryden’s comedies for moral reasons, and more sympathetic studies like those by Margaret Sherwood and Allardyce Nicoll. Detailed chapters explore Dryden's adaptation of different comedic traditions, his use of contemporary influences, and specific sources for his plays, such as Molière and French novels. The preface and extensive research underscores that Dryden's comedies cannot be pigeonholed into any single genre or trend, reflecting the playwright's adaptability to public taste and literary influences. Appendices provide additional analysis of the sources for some of Dryden's specific works, making the book a significant contribution to Dryden scholarship and the study of Restoration comedy.