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British Republication of American Writings, 1783-1833

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2021

William B. Cairns
William B. Cairns*
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin
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Extract

The student of Anglo-American literary relations in the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is continually impressed by the number and kind of American books printed or reprinted in Great Britain. A full knowledge of the facts of such publication would almost certainly throw light on the whole matter of the reception of American writings in England. From what market did the publisher receive, or hope to receive, his return? What sorts of English readers bought the different classes of works? Or were the reprints sometimes sent back to compete with the American issues? Do periods in which there were many such reprints indicate waves of interest in things American, or merely that more American works offered themselves for republication at certain times?

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 43 , Issue 1 , March 1928 , pp. 303 - 310
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1928

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References

1 “The books inserted are the authentic editions, printed for the original proprietors or their assigns, no others being intended to be noticed, except some few, the genuine edition of which has been long out of print”—from Bent's A General Catalogue of Books in all languages, arts and sciences, printed in Great Britain and published in London, from the year MDCC to MDCCLXXXVI. London, 1786.

2 No great pains has been taken in the verification of the dates given in the next few paragraphs. Authorities are sometimes at variance, especially in case of works published not long before or after January 1. Imprint dates and dates of publication are not always the same; and a book did not always appear on the exact date that had been announced. There may be a few variations of a year; it is unlikely that there are any greater than this.

3 Jefferson's Notes on Virginia also appeared in London in 1787, a year in advance of its publication in America.

4 Alibone gives 1803 for Arthur Mervyn, and 1804 for Edgar Huntley; but Alibone is clearly wrong in some of his dates for Brown. On the other hand, I am not wholly sure of some of mine. In most cases I have followed the British Catalogue. Few of these reprints are in the British Museum or the Library of Congress; and in at least one case the imprint date of the British Museum copy is a year later than the British Catalogue date. There may have been an earlier and a later impression, but, when books were printed from type this was not common.

5 Alibone says 1806 and 1811, respectively. The British Museum copy of Wieland has the imprint date 1811.

6 Lambert says that he included some of the papers, as a specimen of American literature, in his Travels which had a small circulation because most of the edition was destroyed by fire. “The few essays from the Salmagundi, given in that work, having been greatly admired, I have been induced to publish the whole, together with an Introductory Essay and explanatory notes; these last will, I trust serve to elucidate such passages as are of a local nature, and, I hope, render my readers better acquainted with American manners than they have hitherto been. Should I have the good fortune to be instrumental to the removal of one single prejudice against the Americans, or. in any way, tend to conciliate the minds of my countrymen in favor of a people whose character has been grossly misrepresented, I shall feel myself amply repaid for my trouble.” This edition was printed for J. M. Richardson, 23 Cornhill. For some reason it is not listed in the English Catalogue from 1801 to 1836.