John Morphew

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John Morphew (died 1720) [1] was an English publisher. He was associated with significant literary and political publications of the early 18th century. At one point publishing for both Whig and Tory factions, [2] he later became identified with the Tories.

Contents

The Whigs Unmask'd (1713), satirical print of a 1712 riot, published by John Morphew. Whigs Unmask'd.jpg
The Whigs Unmask'd (1713), satirical print of a 1712 riot, published by John Morphew.

Life

Morphew as trade publisher (distributor) and John Nutt (printer) took over the business of Edward Jones when he died; this was in 1706. Previously Morphew had been a journeyman for Jones. [3] [4] At this period (i.e. from 1706) [5] Morphew's name had replaced that of Nutt as imprint in most of Jonathan Swift's works. [6] In 1707, Morphew began to publish periodicals. [7] [ self-published source ] He also had a long working relationship with Delarivier Manley. [8]

In 1709, Morphew was arrested by the government, with John Barber, and the publisher John Woodward; the charge arose from the publication of the second volume of Manley's New Atalantis. [9] [10] In 1710, he began publishing The Examiner for Swift. From 1710 also, Morphew, who was connected to the Tory administration, began working with Edmund Curll and producing political pamphlets. George Sewell, who had worked for Morphew as a hack writer, left to work for Curll. [11] Morphew was also publisher of The Tatler , the real person mentioned alongside the fictitious Isaac Bickerstaff. [12]

Morphew associated with the Scriblerus Club, and had some status as printer to the Tory ministry of the last years of Queen Anne. [13] He took on, at some point, the publication of Abel Roper's Tory paper the Post Boy (1714). Shortly after the Hanoverian Succession in 1714, it gave offence to the government. At this juncture, Roper denied active involvement; and Morphew backed him up by stating that for while he had not accounted for the Post Boy's profits to Roper. [14] Subsequently, Morphew lost some of his predominance as trade publisher to James Roberts, who identified more with the Whig cause. [15] Material published in the Post Boy in the sensitive area of Anglo-Swedish relations, after the 1716 Jacobite plotting, caused Morphew to be arrested again in February 1717. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Baines, Paul; Julian Ferraro; Pat Rogers (28 December 2010). The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing 1660 - 1789. John Wiley & Sons. p. 165. ISBN   978-1-4443-9008-7 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  2. ↑ Sommerville, C. John (5 September 1996). The News Revolution in England: Cultural Dynamics of Daily Information. Oxford University Press. p. 127. ISBN   978-0-19-510667-1 . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Downie, J. A. (31 December 1992). Telling People What to Think: Early Eighteenth Century Periodicals from the Review to the Rambler. Psychology Press. p. 33 note 25. ISBN   978-0-7146-4508-7 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. ↑ McLaverty, Jim. "An Introduction to: A New Way of Selling Places at Court". Jonathan Swift Archive.
  5. ↑ Swift, Jonathan (29 July 2010). A Tale of a Tub and Other Works. Cambridge University Press. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-521-82894-9 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Karian, Stephen (29 April 2010). Jonathan Swift in Print and Manuscript. Cambridge University Press. p. 17. ISBN   978-0-521-19804-2 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Spurgeon, Charles W. (30 March 2008). The Poetry of Westminster Abbey. Xlibris Corporation. p. 256. ISBN   978-1-4257-6201-8 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  8. ↑ Herman, Ruth (1 June 2003). The Business of a Woman: The Political Writings of Delarivier Manley. University of Delaware Press. p. 312. ISBN   978-0-87413-792-7 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Knights, Mark (31 March 2011). The Devil in Disguise:Deception, Delusion, and Fanaticism in the Early English Enlightenment: Deception, Delusion, and Fanaticism in the Early English Enlightenment. Oxford University Press. p. 140. ISBN   978-0-19-957795-8 . Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Ballaster, Ros (21 May 2009). "Manley, Delarivier". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17939.(Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ↑ MacKenzie, Raymond N. (3 January 2008). "Curll, Edmund". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6948.(Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  12. ↑ Shevelow, Kathryn (1989). Women and Print Culture: The Construction of Femininity in the Early Periodical. Routledge. pp. 104–. ISBN   978-0-415-01222-5 . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Richardson, J. (9 December 2003). Slavery and Augustan Literature: Swift, Pope and Gay. Taylor & Francis. p. 40. ISBN   978-0-415-31286-8 . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Clayton, M. E. "Roper, Abel". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/24070.(Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  15. ↑ Baines, Paul; Julian Ferraro; Pat Rogers (8 February 2011). The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Eighteenth-Century Writers and Writing 1660 - 1789. John Wiley & Sons. p. 292. ISBN   978-1-4051-5669-1 . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  16. ↑ Black, Jeremy (19 October 2010). The English Press in the Eighteenth Century. Taylor & Francis. p. 108. ISBN   978-0-415-60977-7 . Retrieved 6 September 2012.
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