Author: Douglas, David
Biography:
DOUGLAS, David (fl 1823)
This author has not been identified and no traces of him other than the two books published in 1823 have been found. The prefaces to the books are dated from Lausanne, Switzerland. The Fall of Constantinople was advertised as “just published” in early Apr. 1823 and Visions of Taste was first published on Monday 20 Oct. 1823. The latter is dedicated to an unnamed friend and the preface states that reviewers and readers of The Fall of Constantinople had assumed, based on the earlier book’s preface, that David Douglas was a pseudonym. The publisher of The Fall of Constantinople, Septimus Prowett, had premises in London at least from 1823 to 1825 first in the Strand and then in Old Bond Street. He also issued translations and poems by John Payne Collier (q.v) and perhaps there is a link between Douglas and Collier. (Literary Museum 26 Apr. 1823; Morning Herald 7 Apr. 1823, 21 Oct. 1823; BBTI) SR