Jane Bowdler, Poems and Essays (1786). Forgotten Books, 2018. Courtesy Amazon.com.
Jane Bowdler (14 February 1743 - spring 1784) was an English poet and essayist.
Life[]
Bowdler was born at Ashley, near Bath, Somerset, the eldest daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Stuart Bowdler, and thus sister of John, and of Thomas, the editor of Shakespeare. Throughout her life she suffered from ill-health. In 1759 she had a severe attack of small-pox, and from 1771 till her death was a confirmed invalid. In her later years she wrote many poems and essays. She died in the spring of 1784.[1]
Writing[]
A selection of Bowdler's work was published at Bath for the benefit of the local hospital in 1786 under the title of Poems and Essays by a Lady, lately deceased. The Dictionary of National Biography remarks that: "The verse is very poor, and the prose treats, without any striking originality, such subjects as sensibility, politeness, candour, and the pleasures of religion." Nevertheless, this volume became extraordinarily popular; 16 editions (with the author's name on the title-page) were published at Bath between 1787 and 1830. Other editions appeared at Dublin, in London, and in New York, where the first American edition (from the 10th Bath edition) appeared in 1811. A few of Bowdler's pieces, not previously printed, appear in Thomas Bowdler's Memoir of John Bowdler, 1824.[1]
Publications[]
- Poems and Essays: By a lady lately deceased. (2 volumes), Bath, UK: R. Cruttwell, 1786. Volume I
- also published as Poems and Essays: By the late Miss Bowdler. 2nd edition, Bath, UK: R. Cruttwell, for C. Dilly, J. Robson, T. Hookham, et al, 1787; Dublin: William McKenzie, 1787; 1st U.S. edition, New York: Office of the Economical School, 1811; Dublin: Espy & Cross, 1815; 16th edition, Bath, UK: R. Cruttwell, 1816; London: C. Wood for W. Baynes, 1824; Boston: Wells & Lilly, 1827; Boston: Joseph Dowe, 1841.
- Hymns on Various Subjects: Extracted from the Psalms. Bath, UK: Richard Cruttwell, for Cadell & Davies, & Hatchard, London, 1806.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[2]
See also[]
References[]
Lee, Sidney (1886) "Bowdler, Jane" in Stephen, Leslie Dictionary of National Biography 6 London: Smith, Elder, p. 43
Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lee, 43.
- ↑ Search results = au:Jane Bowdler, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 2, 2016.
External links[]
- Poems
- Envy: A fragment"
- Jane Bowdler at AllPoetry (8 poems)
- Book
- Jane Bowdler at Amazon.com
- About
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen & Sidney Lee). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: "Bowdler, Jane"
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