Author: SMITH, John
Biography:
SMITH, John (fl 1821)
It is quite likely that “John Smith” is a pseudonym concealing the actual author of the Poetical Works published in Sheffield, Yorkshire, in 1821. The book record includes some details of the consistently nonsensical contents. Besides those, the epigraph from Burns on the title-page is “Some books are lies from end to end.” There is a spoof dedication to “Jonadab Micklethwaite, Esq.” with several lines of imaginary titles. In the preface the author alludes to his own regular employment “of a striking nature” i.e. Smith, and dates his preface April 1st, 1820, April Fool’s Day. There are however a few clues that might lead eventually to identification, particularly repeated references to Hucklow, a Derbyshire village close to Sheffield and the Yorkshire border. Therefore this author entry is kept open. There were three John Smiths active in Sheffield as printer, bookseller, and typefounder respectively, but all were active c. 1840, some years after the publication of this book. (BBTI; ancestry.com 5 Nov. 2024; findmypast.com 5 Nov. 2024) SR