Robert Dodsley
Robert Dodsley was an influential figure in 18th-century England, born in 1703 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Initially apprenticed as a stocking weaver, he found dissatisfaction in this role and transitioned to working as a footman, where he mingled with the upper class and honed his creative talents. Dodsley began his literary career with the publication of his poem "Servitude: A Poem Written by a Footman" in 1729, supported by prominent figures like Daniel Defoe. He achieved significant success as a bookseller and publisher after establishing a shop in London in 1735, where he published notable works by Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope, and Thomas Gray.
Dodsley was also a prolific editor and playwright, founding several literary periodicals and contributing to the cultural landscape of the time. His notable publications include "The Museum," "The Preceptor," and "The Annual Register," which featured contributions from various literary figures. Despite facing challenges, such as imprisonment due to the controversial content of some works, he continued to thrive in the literary world until his retirement in 1759. Dodsley's legacy endures through his pivotal role in publishing and his contributions to literature, having significantly shaped the careers of many esteemed British authors. He passed away in 1764 while visiting a friend.
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Robert Dodsley
Bookseller
- Born: February 13, 1703
- Birthplace: Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England
- Died: September 23, 1764
- Place of death: Durham, England
Biography
Robert Dodsley was born in 1703 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, where his father was master of the free school. During his early years, he was apprenticed to a stocking weaver in Mansfield. Unhappy in this profession, he ran away and went into service as a footman. In this position, Dodsley was put in an optimal place to meet with higher-class citizens. His experiences in this service also inspired his creative faculties, which led to his more lucrative career in bookselling and publishing.
In 1729, Dodsley published his first work, Servitude: A Poem Written by a Footman, with a preface and postscript by Daniel Defoe. He also wrote a collection of short poems, A Muse in Livery: Or, The Footman’s Miscellany, which was published by subscriptions from his high-ranking patrons in 1732. This work was followed by a satirical farce called The Toy- Shop, performed in 1735. The profits from the sale of his works enabled Dodsley to establish himself, with the help of his friends, as a London bookseller at Tully’s Head in Pall Mall in 1735.
As a result of this breakthrough opportunity, Dodsley soon became one of the foremost publishers of his time. One of his first publications was Samuel Johnson’s London: A Poem in Imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal. Over time, he published many of Johnson’s works, and he suggested and helped to finance A Dictionary of the English Language. Dodsley also published some of the works of Alexander Pope and other prominent British writers, and in 175, he marketed Thomas Gray’s renowned poem An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard. In 1738, the publication of Paul Whitehead’s Manners, voted scandalous by the House of Lords, led to a short imprisonment for the successful publisher.
Dodsley also founded several literary periodicals and became a successful editor and playwright. Among the periodicals he established were The Museum, published from 1746 through 1767; The Preceptor, founded in 1748; The World, published from 1753 to 1756; and The Annual Register, founded in 1758 with Edmund Burke as editor. Contributors to these publications included Burke, Horace Walpole, Mark Akenside, Soame Jenyns, Lord Lyttelton, and Philip Dormer Stanhope Chesterfield. Dodsley was also recognized as the editor of A Select Collection of Old Plays (1744) and A Collection of Poems by Several Hands (1748), both of which passed through many editions.
In 1737, his drama The King and the Miller of Mansfield was produced at Drury Lane and was received with much acclaim; the satiric sequel, Sir John Cockle at Court, appeared in 1738. In 1745, he published a collection of his dramatic works and some poems, which had been issued separately, in one volume under the humble title Trifles.
In 1759, Dodsley retired from publishing, leaving the conduct of the business to his brother James, with whom he had been many years in partnership. He died at Durham on September 23, 1764, while on a visit to his friend, the Reverend Joseph Spence.
Dodsley is most significant for his career as a publisher in mid-eighteenth century England and his association with the successful publications of works by notable British authors, including Johnson, Pope, Gray, and Oliver Goldsmith. He is also known for his own contributions to literature and his work as a London bookseller, playwright, and editor.