John Gay, Poems on Several Occasions

Ian Gordon (Anglia Ruskin University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1720 - 1731

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epistolary
Poem collection
Story

Resources

Gay published Poems on Several Occasions by subscription edition, in July 1720, in an attempt to raise sufficient money to pay off his many debts. The venture was highly successful, with not only his close friends, but also most of the court, rallying strongly to the subscription. The subscription list, printed at the front of the collection, shows that nearly four hundred persons, headed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, subscribed, with many signing up for multiple copies. Lords Burlington and Chandos subscribed to pay for fifty copies each; William Pulteney to pay for twenty-five; and Lord Bathurst, the Rt Hon. James Craggs (the principal Secretary for State), Henry Pelham, and the Earl of Warwick ten each. Numerous …

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4413 words

Citation: Gordon, Ian. "Poems on Several Occasions". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 January 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16697, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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