DODSLEY

dodsley, robert (1703-1764), english bookseller and miscellaneous writer, was born in 1703 near mansfield, nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. he is said to have been apprenticed to a stocking-weaver in mansfield, from whom he ran away, taking service as a footman. in 1729 dodsley published his first work, _servitude; a poem ... written by a footman_, with a preface and postscript ascribed to daniel defoe; and a collection of short poems, _a muse in livery, or the footman's miscellany_, was published by subscription in 1732, dodsley's patrons comprising many persons of high rank. this was followed by a satirical farce called _the toyshop_ (covent garden, 1735), in which the toyman indulges in moral observations on his wares, a hint which was probably taken from thomas randolph's _conceited pedlar_. the profits accruing from the sale of his works enabled dodsley to establish himself with the help of his friends--pope lent him £100--as a bookseller at the "tully's head" in pall mall in 1735. his enterprise soon made him one of the foremost publishers of the day. one of his first publications was dr johnson's _london_, for which he gave ten guineas in 1738. he published many of johnson's works, and he suggested and helped to finance the _english dictionary_. pope also made over to dodsley his interest in his letters. in 1738 the publication of paul whitehead's _manners_, voted scandalous by the lords, led to a short imprisonment. dodsley published for edward young and mark akenside, and in 1751 brought out thomas gray's _elegy_. he also founded several literary periodicals: _the museum_ (1746-1767, 3 vols.); _the preceptor containing a general course of education_ (1748, 2 vols.), with an introduction by dr johnson; _the world_ (1753-1756, 4 vols.); and _the annual register_, founded in 1758 with edmund burke as editor. to these various works, horace walpole, akenside, soame jenyns, lord lyttelton, lord chesterfield, burke and others were contributors. dodsley is, however, best known as the editor of two collections: _select collection of old plays_ (12 vols., 1744; 2nd edition with notes by isaac reed, 12 vols., 1780; 4th edition, by w. c. hazlitt, 1874-1876, 15 vols.); and _a collection of poems by several hands_ (1748, 3 vols.), which passed through many editions. in 1737 his _king and the miller of mansfield_, a "dramatic tale" of king henry ii., was produced at drury lane, and received with much applause; the sequel, _sir john cockle at court_, a farce, 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 modest title of _trifles_. this was followed by _the triumph of peace, a masque occasioned by the treaty of aix-la-chapelle_ (1749); a fragment, entitled _agriculture_, of a long tedious poem in blank verse on _public virtue_ (1753); _the blind beggar of bethnal green_ (acted at drury lane 1739, printed 1741); and an ode, _melpomene_ (1757). his tragedy of _cleone_ (1758) had a long run at covent garden, 2000 copies being sold on the day of publication, and it passed through four editions within the year. lord chesterfield is, however, almost certainly the author of the series of mock chronicles of which _the chronicle of the kings of england_ by "nathan ben saddi" (1740) is the first, although they were included in the _trifles_ and "ben saddi" was received as dodsley's pseudonym. _the economy of human life_ (1750), a collection of moral precepts frequently reprinted, is also by lord chesterfield. in 1759 dodsley retired, leaving the conduct of the business to his brother james (1724-1797), with whom he had been many years in partnership. he published two more works, _the select fables of aesop translated by r. d._ (1764) and the _works of william shenstone_ (3 vols., 1764-1769). he died at durham while on a visit to his friend the rev. joseph spence, on the 23rd of september 1764. see also _shadows of the old booksellers_, by charles knight (1865), pp. 189-216; "at tully's head" in _eighteenth century vignettes_, 2nd series, by austin dobson (1894); e. solly in _the bibliographer_, v. (1884) pp. 57-61. dodsley's poems are reprinted with a memoir in a. chalmers's _works of english poets_, vol. xv. (1810).