Post 5: Publication History, Map History

For Public Benefit or For Private Collections

For this assignment I compared two editions of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Both were printed in 1726 in London, though they represent entirely different projects. The first version I looked at is titled “Lemuel Gulliver's travels into several remote nations of the world. Compendiously methodized, for publick benefit; with observations and explanatory notes throughout”, the observations and notes are written by Corolini di Marco, and it was published by H. Curl.

This edition of Gulliver’s Travels does not include the full text as written by Swift. It instead compiles key quotes from each chapter and fills the gaps with summaries provided by Corolini Di Marco. Considering this characteristic and the title describing it as “for publick benefit”, it can be said that the project of this version is to educate people about the work. It seems to assume the reader is already familiar with Gulliver’s Travels and tries to add to their understanding by providing further explanation and analysis. This is a project that promotes accessibility of Swift’s writing by explaining the context in a way that someone who was less educated may struggle to understand on their own. It can also be said that they are only presenting their own interpretation, but to me it seems more like they are attempting to describe the work faithfully. Also, the fact that this educational version was in enough demand to be widely printed speaks to the importance and popularity of Swift in this place at this time.

The other version is titled “Travels into several remote nations of the world. In four parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships.”, it is solely authored by Swift, and it was printed specifically for Benj. Motte at the Middle Temple-Gate in Fleet-Street. This is a direct reprinting of Swift’s work for the private collection of one person, meaning it does not have the same project of education and accessibility as the first. It instead is made with the interests of one person in mind, someone who has their own relationship with Gulliver’s Travels and must have been relatively wealthy to be able to afford this.

Both of these printings are versions of Gulliver’s Travels, but the content, titles, and printing details reveal their different projects. The Corolini Di Marco version prioritizes education and accessibility while the Benjamin Motte version prioritizes the desires of one wealthy individual. Looking at these two works in comparison provides some insight into the different ways people engaged with Swift’s work and with printing and literature in general in the 18th century.

Bibliography

C. D. M. (Corolini di Marco). Lemuel Gulliver's travels into several remote nations of the world. Compendiously methodized, for publick benefit; with observations and explanatory notes throughout. [by H. Curll], Printed in the Year MDCCXXVI. [1726]. Eighteenth Century Collections Online, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CW0109123156/ECCO?u=umd_um&sid=bookmark-ECCO&xid=f258b8c2&pg=9. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.

Swift, Jonathan. Travels into several remote nations of the world. In four parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships. ... Vol. 1, printed for Benj. Motte, at the Middle Temple-Gate in Fleet-Street, MDCCXXVI. [1726]. Eighteenth Century Collections Online, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CW0109095940/ECCO?u=umd_um&sid=bookmark-ECCO&xid=3f4043ba&pg=1. Accessed 5 Dec. 2021.