Typewritten or handwritten play scripts deposited with the U.S. Copyright Office as unpublished and subsequently transferred to the Manuscript Division. Reflects the interests of early researchers and the desire of later curators to preserve rare samples of early drama. Genres include farce, melodrama, musicals, satire, and vaudeville. Subjects include city life, ethnic and immigrant groups, exploration, foreign influences, inventions, plight of the poor, theater, and style of the wealthy.