The Historical Register, For the Year 1736: As it is Acted at the.

Fielding, Henry

Publication Date: 1737

About this Item

The Play that Ended Fielding's Dramatic Career [Fielding, Henry (1704-1754)]. The Historical Register, For the Year 1736. As it is Acted at the New Theatre in the Hay-Market. To Which is Added a Very Merry Tragedy, Called Eurydice Hiss'd, Or, A Word to the Wise. Both Written by the Author of Pasquin. To These are Prefixed a Long Dedication to the Publick, And a Preface to that Dedication. London: Printed: And sold by J. Roberts, [1737]. Price 1s. 6d. [xvi], 48 pp. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-3/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet in plain wrappers. Light toning and soiling to wrappers. Light toning to interior, occasional light foxing. A nice copy of an important title. $950. * First authorized London edition. Fielding was an important writer, London magistrate and keen satirist. One of his primary targets was Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole, whom The Historical Register attacks along with other contemporary politicians and society figures. After the play was performed in April of 1737, Walpole introduced and passed the Licensing Act. Under the terms of the act, theaters were required to obtain an official license and submit the texts of prospective plays for censorship before performance. As intended, this effectively ended Fielding's career as a dramatist, though he continued to lampoon Walpole in his other works. Priority for early editions of this title is not definitively established. Another edition under a false Roberts imprint also appeared in 1737 with a different pagination and no price; it was printed in Edinburgh by W. Cheyne. Some sources say our undated Roberts imprint precedes the Edinburgh piracy, while others, such as Cross, disagree. Cross, The History of Henry Fielding III:301. English Short-Title Catalogue T89878. Seller Inventory # 73913

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Historical Register, For the Year 1736: ...

Publication Date: 1737

Binding: Soft cover