Leech, Clifford. John Ford, Longmans, Green, 1964.

Leech usefully situates Ford's dramatic achievement within the historical context of the Jacobean and Caroline theatre traditions. He sees Ford as influenced by Fletcher and earlier dramatists, and identifies a debt to Queen Henrietta Maria's cult of Platonic Love.

Oliver, H. J. The Problem of John Ford, Melbourne University Press, 1955.

Offering a fine overview, Oliver opens with chapters discussing Ford's times, non-dramatic writing, and collaboration before spending a chapter on each of the major plays. A good place to begin research.

Roper, Derek. Introduction to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Manchester University Press, 1997.

This is an excellent edition of the play, with extensive notes and scholarly apparatus, a twenty-two page introduction, and a bibliography for additional research.

Sensabaugh, G. F. The Tragic Muse of John Ford, Benjamin Blom, 1944.

Sensabaugh's influential work reads Ford's drama in the context of Renaissance thinking...