Junius: Including Letters By The Same Writer, Under Other Signatures, (Now First Collected.) To Which Are Added His Confidental Correspondence With Mr. Wilkes, And His Private Letters Addresses To Mr. H.S. Woodfall. With A Preliminary Essay, Notes, Fac-similes, In Three Volumes.

H. S. Woodfall

Published by Printed by G. Woodfall for F. C. and J. Rivington; T. Payne; Wilkie and Robinson; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; Caddell, 1812

About this Item

Hardcover Condition: Good+. Full calf. Three volumes. Vol. I cover detached. Vols. II and III covers are loosening but still attached. Ownership inscription on FFEP of each volume and bookplate on endpaper of each volume. Clean interior with minimal foxing Junius is the pseudonym of the still unidentified author of a series of letters contributed to Henry Sampson Woodfall's Public Advertiser, a popular English newspaper of the day, between Jan. 21, 1769, and Jan. 21, 1772. Junius' aims were to discredit the ministries of the Duke of Grafton and subsequently of Lord North and to draw attention to the political influence of George III, who was trying to establish his own "personal government" by selecting his ministers from a group of subservient friends. Junius used arcasm in attacking the public and private lives of Grafton and his associates, the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Bute, and Lord Mansfield. He also attacked King George himself which lead the government to (unsuccessfully) prosecute Woodfall for seditious libel for having printed the letter. Apart from their significance as a literary controversy and their importance in the history of the freedom of the press, Junius' letters are notable for their style and the unsolved mystery of their authorship. The identity of Junius is open to question and debate, and may never be finally resolved unless documents are found which establish his identity. Some scholars support the identification of Philip Francis. The 1st Marquess of Lansdowne claimed to know the 'Junius secret' two weeks before his death, but died without revealing what he thought he knew.

Seller Inventory # 3549

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Junius: Including Letters By The Same Writer, Under Other Signatures, (Now First Collected.) To Which Are Added His Confidental Correspondence With Mr. Wilkes, And His Private Letters Addresses To Mr. H.S. Woodfall. With A Preliminary Essay, Notes, Fac-similes, In Three Volumes.
• Publisher: Printed by G. Woodfall for F. C. and J. Rivington; T. Payne; Wilkie and Robinson; Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; Caddell
• Publication Date: 1812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good