Edmund Curll was a notorious figure among the publishers of the early eighteenth century: for his boldness, his lack of scruple, his publication of work without author's consent, and his taste for erotic and scandalous publications. He was in legal trouble on several occasions for piracy and copyright infringement, unauthorized publication of the works of peers, and for seditious, blasphemous, and obscene publications. He stood in the pillory in 1728 for seditious libel. Above all, he was the constant target of the greatest poet and satirist of his age, Alexander Pope, whose work he pirated whenever he could and who responded with direct physical revenge (an emetic slipped into a drink) and persistent malign caricature. The war between Pope and Curll typifies some of the main cultural battles being waged between creativity and business. The story has normally been told from the poet's point of view, though more recently Curll has been celebrated as a kind of literary
freedom-fighter; this book, the first full biography of Curll since Ralph Straus's The Unspeakable Curll (1927), seeks to give a balanced and thoroughly-researched account of Curll's career in publishing between 1706 and 1747, untangling the mistakes and misrepresentations that have accrued over the years and restoring a clear sense of perspective to Curll's dealings in the literary marketplace. It examines the full range of Curll's output, including his notable antiquarian series, and uses extensive archive material to detail Curll's legal and other troubles. For the first time, what is known about this strange, interesting, and awkward figure is authoritatively told.
Industry Reviews
a patient correction of in accurate constructions of Curll...an illuminating account Claire Brant MLR The main achievement of the book is the rigorously researched detail, and the clear account which it gives of Curll's everchanging fortunesin the literatry marketplace. ...heroically researched book... A.F.T. Lurcock Notes and Queries d ...the myriad of new details in this book makes it an essential reference tool for scholars of eighteenth-century publishing. Shef Rogers, Script & Print Paul Baines and Pat Rogers track the process statistically in their biography, the first since 1927, cutting their way with expert vigilance through the maze of obscure, misleading and often downright fraudulent imprints that have hitherto shrouded their subject. Thomas Keymer, London Review of Books Impeccably researched scholarship. Robert Stewart, Spectator A work of painstaking scholarship, correcting innumerable old errors and bristling with new facts...the authors have done a superb job. Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph Without changing the familiar story, they flesh it out with factual details of Curll's partnerships and enmities, successes and failures, year by year, by reference to court records, notices in the daily press and above all, Curll's own publications. H.J. Jackson, TLS You could not hope for more expert guides than Baines and Rogers Literary Review, Baines and Rogers's painstaking and comprehensive work...is a must for anyone with an interest in the eighteenth-century book trade. Rare Books Newsletter, No. 81 ...an unsurpassably complete account of the life and career of Edmund Curll... [a] constant pleasure of reading The Cambridge Quarterly, Volume 36, Number 4 [An] ambitious new biography...this valuable book is a treasure trove for those working on eighteenth-century print culture Sharp News, Volume 16, Number 4
