"The interest of the Theatro Comico lies in the fact that the first two volumes contain exclusively plays by Antonio José da Silva, the Brazilian Jew burnt at the stake by the Inquisition, who was one the great poets of the Portuguese language in the eighteenth century." (Moraes)

[Vols. 3 and 4] "contain plays that had appeared previously in the Operas Portuguezas, and do not include any works by Antonio José. None of the plays bears the author's name. However, Innocencio noted that the two "Decimas" concluding the preface are acrostical...." (Moraes)

Imprint of v. 2 reads: Lisboa, Na Officina Patr. de Franc. Luiz Ameno, M. DCC. LIX; imprint of v. 3 reads: Lisboa, Na Officina Patr. de Franc. Luiz Ameno, M. DCC. LX; imprint of v. 4 reads: Lisboa, Na Officina Patr. de Franc. Luiz Ameno, M. DCC. LXI.

Vols. 1-2 first published under this title in Lisbon, 1744; v. 3-4 first published under title Operas Portuguezas in Lisbon, 1746.

Titles of v. 3-4 vary slightly from titles of v. 1-2; v. 3-4 lack edition statement.

Pagination of v. 1: [12], 499, [1] p. (pages 221 and 359 misprinted 121 and 559); v. 2: 567, [1] p. (pages 189, 190, and 191 misprinted 289, 290, and 291; v. 3: 452 p.; v. 4: 391, [1] p.

Signatures of v. 1: A-2I⁸ (A1 verso blank); v. 2: A-2M⁸ 2N⁴ (A1 verso blank); v. 3: A-2E⁸ 2F² (A1 verso blank); v. 4: A-2A⁸ 2B⁴ (A1, A3, 2B4 versos blank)

Silva, Innocencio da. Diccionario bib. portuguez, I, p. 176.

Moraes, R.B. de. Bib. Brasiliana (1983 ed.), p. 856.

John Carter Brown Library copy acquired with the assistance of the JCB Associates.

Provenance of the John Carter Brown Library copy: Pedro Borges Pacheco : inscription.

John Carter Brown Library copy bound in contemporary calf. This copy has p. 173-4, v. 2, torn on the right bottom margin without loss of text.