About
Samuel Richardson, baptised on 19 August 1689 in Mackworth, Derbyshire, and died on 4 July 1761 in London, was an English novelist and printer. The son of a joiner, he received limited formal education and was apprenticed to a printer in 1706. He established his own successful printing business by 1721 and became one of London's leading master printers, securing the government contract for printing the Journals of the House of Commons. He published his first novel, Pamela (1740), at age 51, widely considered one of the first English novels and a landmark of the epistolary form. His masterpiece, Clarissa (1747-1748), is one of the longest novels in the English language. He influenced writers such as Jane Austen, Rousseau, and Goethe.
* 1689-08-19 — † 1761-07-04
Major works
- Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740)epistolary novel
- Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady (1747-1748)epistolary novel
- The History of Sir Charles Grandison (1753-1754)epistolary novel
Key milestones
- 1721Established his own successful printing business in London.
- 1754Elected Master of the Stationers' Company.
- 1760Purchased a share of the patent of King's Printer.
Themes
Virtue and rewardMorality and educationSocial class and mobilityCharacter psychologyEpistolary form
Sources: id.loc.gov · oxfordbibliographies.com · britannica.com