An Appeal to the Public, on the Subject of the Riots in Birmingham. To which are added, strictures on a pamphlet, intitled [sic] 'Thoughts on the late riot in Birmingham'.

PRIESTLEY, Joseph.

Published by Dublin: printed by Hillary and Barlow, for Messrs. P. Byrne, A. Grueber, J. Moore, and R. Whit. 1792, 1792

About this Item

xxxix, [i] blanks, 180pp. 8vo. Uncut in orig. blue paper wrappers, ms. title on spine; small nick from lower margin of front wrapper, otherwise a FINE copy as issued. First published in London in 1791. Prompted by the Constitutional Society of Birmingham's dinner celebrating the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the riots were an organised attack on religious Dissenters and those sympathetic to the French Revolution. Joseph Priestley, according to his account, had little to do with it. However, his sympathy for the French revolutionaries was notorious, and a well-organised mob (with the aid of some local officials) seized the occasion to attack the homes of several dissenters, including burning Priestley's chapel and sacking his house at Fairhill, destroying his library and laboratory.

Seller Inventory # 102458

Bibliographic Details

• Title: An Appeal to the Public, on the Subject of the Riots in Birmingham. To which are added, strictures on a pamphlet, intitled [sic] 'Thoughts on the late riot in Birmingham'.
• Publisher: Dublin: printed by Hillary and Barlow, for Messrs. P. Byrne, A. Grueber, J. Moore, and R. Whit. 1792
• Publication Date: 1792
• Binding: Soft cover