Booksellers and the Book Trade: John Dunton, Edmund Curll, Grub Street, and the Rise of Bernard Lintot

Prolific publishers including John Dunton and Edmund Curll sought to provide inexpensive literary entertainments for their readers with periodicals such as The Athenian Oracle and topical publications. Curll earned the animosity of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and other poets for his unauthorized publications of their works. In contrast, Bernard Lintot sought to secure the leading literary figures of the day including Pope and his friends for long-term relationships to produce important translations and collections. Other publishers frequently employed ‘hack writers’ such Edward ‘Ned’ Ward and Charles Gildon to produce quick translations, satires, fictions, and miscellanies. Women were involved in Grub Street literary productions also as printers, hawkers, and authors.