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| Detail. George Saintsbury
(ed.), Letters from Sir Charles Grandison. 2 vols. London:
Allen, 1895. deB Eb/1895/R |
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The Playwright
Thomas John Dibdin (1771—1841) was an English dramatist and song-writer. After serving his apprenticeship with a troupe of country players (which also included a stint as a scene painter), he wrote dramatic productions which included Something New (1791), The Mad Guardian (1795), The Jew and the Doctor (1798-99), and Mother Goose (1807). The last bought him more than £20,000 profit. He adapted the old French romance Valentine & Orson into a melodrama and it was first performed on Easter Monday 1804. Note that Dibdin's wife Nancy plays the part of Empress Belisanta.
The Novelist
Samuel Richardson created Sir Charles Grandison, his ‘Good Man', as a balance to his female creations in Pamela and Clarissa. It was published in 1754 to popular acclaim. The novel is epistolary in form. Sir Charles is portrayed as a paragon of honour, wisdom, and virtue. Unfortunately, big novels are sometimes hard to read. In this late 19th century edition, which was donated by Professor Jocelyn Harris of the English Department, the English critic George Saintsbury (1845-1933) has selected the most interesting passages of the original in the hope that the enthused reader will go back to the full version. Christopher Hammond's line illustrations enhance the text.
