Though in later antiquity the social comedies of Menander ranked second in popularity only to Homer, his plays were for centuries thought to be irretrievably lost. Only in this century have instances begun to re-emerge from the sands of Egypt, and it was not until 1958 that a complete play, Dyskolos or The Bad-Tempered Man, came to light. With this we can now gauge in full the skill that Menander brought to his works, even in the early phase of his career.

In preparing this edition, the author aims to make accessible to readers some of the consummate sophistication in dramatic technique and use of language that once produced the question, "Menander and Life, which of you imitated the other?"