| Administrative History | James Boswell (1740 - 1795). The friend and biographer of Samuel Johnson, who appears to have been an early friend of Beattie, though it is unclear when they first met. He is first mentioned in the Beattie correspondence in 1770. He introduced Beattie to Johnson in 1771.
Mr Dilly mentioned in the letters is probably Charles Dilly (1739 - 1807), bookseller. According to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: during the years of their partnership the Dillys produced a great number and range of titles, with a particular specialism in dissenting and ‘American’ literature, reflecting the brothers' whig and patriot political sympathies. The brothers were well known for their support of their authors — they practically adopted James Boswell, who said they made him feel ‘like blood relations’ — and Charles in particular was described as ‘a kind and faithful adviser’ to ‘young and inexperienced authors’ (Boswell in Search of a Wife, 151; Nichols, Lit. anecdotes, 3.191). Their premises in the Poultry, in which they both lived and worked, became an important nexus for social, political, and literary figures; Benjamin Rush described their shop as a ‘kind of Coffee house for authors’ (Rush, Autobiography, 62–3). In particular, the brothers threw legendary dinner parties, which attracted high praise from Nichols and Richard Cumberland among others. The company was varied — Samuel Johnson was a frequent guest — and was by no means limited to those who shared the brothers' religious or political beliefs. |