A rare title which rarely comes into hands of collectors...
Item # 724647
May 09, 1733
THE HYP-DOCTOR, London, Oct. 9, 1733
* Very rare 18th century publication
The title is an archaic phrase for a "hodgepodge of nonsense". This curious satirical paper published from 1730-1741, a pro-Walpole (first Prime Minister of Great Britain) newspaper created to oppose another British title "The Craftsman". It was published by John "Orator" Henley, a clergyman know for showmanship and eccentricity.
The focus is noted in the masthead: "A Letter From a Dissenter to the Craftsman, Occsion'd by His Last Paper Entitled Some Considerations on the True Interest of the Protestant Dissenters..."
A single sheet issue with wide, untrimmed margins, 9 by 14 1/4 inches, red tax stamp on the back page, small loss to a blank lower corner, very nice condition.
background: The "preciousness" of this specific 1733 issue lies in its status as a high-integrity survivor of the "Golden Age of Political Scurrility," offering a tactile bridge to the hyper-partisan atmosphere of the Georgian era. Because it remains in its original, untrimmed state—defying the common historical practice of shearing margins for bookbinding—it retains the raw, physical dimensions of an 18th-century street publication, complete with the heavy "bite" of the hand-press on durable rag paper. This physical rarity is compounded by its content: a strategic volley in the "Paper War" between the eccentric Orator Henley and the formidable Craftsman, capturing a pivotal moment when Sir Robert Walpole’s government had to use wit and satire to manage the delicate loyalties of Protestant Dissenters. To hold this sheet is to hold a piece of propaganda that was never intended to last more than a day, yet its survival transforms a "hodgepodge of nonsense" into a sophisticated artifact of British constitutional history and the birth of modern political spin.
* Very rare 18th century publication
The title is an archaic phrase for a "hodgepodge of nonsense". This curious satirical paper published from 1730-1741, a pro-Walpole (first Prime Minister of Great Britain) newspaper created to oppose another British title "The Craftsman". It was published by John "Orator" Henley, a clergyman know for showmanship and eccentricity.
The focus is noted in the masthead: "A Letter From a Dissenter to the Craftsman, Occsion'd by His Last Paper Entitled Some Considerations on the True Interest of the Protestant Dissenters..."
A single sheet issue with wide, untrimmed margins, 9 by 14 1/4 inches, red tax stamp on the back page, small loss to a blank lower corner, very nice condition.
background: The "preciousness" of this specific 1733 issue lies in its status as a high-integrity survivor of the "Golden Age of Political Scurrility," offering a tactile bridge to the hyper-partisan atmosphere of the Georgian era. Because it remains in its original, untrimmed state—defying the common historical practice of shearing margins for bookbinding—it retains the raw, physical dimensions of an 18th-century street publication, complete with the heavy "bite" of the hand-press on durable rag paper. This physical rarity is compounded by its content: a strategic volley in the "Paper War" between the eccentric Orator Henley and the formidable Craftsman, capturing a pivotal moment when Sir Robert Walpole’s government had to use wit and satire to manage the delicate loyalties of Protestant Dissenters. To hold this sheet is to hold a piece of propaganda that was never intended to last more than a day, yet its survival transforms a "hodgepodge of nonsense" into a sophisticated artifact of British constitutional history and the birth of modern political spin.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
