Dodsley, Robert

(1703-1764)

   Born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, the son of a schoolmaster, nothing is known of his education. While in the service of the Hon. Mrs. Lowther he started writing poetry, and with the profits from his writings, with his brother James, he opened a bookseller's shop in London in 1735. He published Pope's First Epistle of the Second Book of Horace Imitated in 1737 and went on to publish the works of many famous and influential people. In 1758 he co-founded with Edmund Burke The Annual Register. He is buried at Durham, where he died on a visit to a friend. In addition to his poetry he published many dramas. Some of his publications: Servitude, 1729 (a poem, with an introduction by Daniel Defoe). The Footman's Friendly Advice to his Brethren of the Livery, 1731. A Muse in Livery, or The Footman's Miscellany, 1732. The Toy-shop, 1732 (a dramatic satire). Sir John Cockle at Court, 1738. A Collection of Poems by Several Hands, 1748-1758 (6 volumes). Some of his other poems: "Agriculture," "The Footman: An Epistle to My Friend," "The Progress of Love," "The Stolen Kiss."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. English Poetry: Author Search. Chadwyck-Healey Ltd., 1995 (http://www.lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). Biography of Robert Dodsley, with links. Infoplease (http://www. infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0815765.html). Robert Dodsley -The Famous Bookseller and Publisher of London (http://www.fzc.dk/Boswell/People/people.php?id=30). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The New Oxford Book of Eighteenth Century Verse. Roger Lonsdale, ed. Oxford University Press (2003. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000.