''The Critical Review'' was a British publication appearing from 1756 to 1817. It was first edited by Tobias Smollett, from 1756 to 1763. Contributors included

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The '' Oxford ...

, David Hume, John Hunter, and

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel '' The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem '' The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his ...

Early years

The Edinburgh printer Archibald Hamilton started publishing ''The Critical Review'' in 1756 with Tobias Smollett as its first editor. The content was mainly book reviews, which were often long and favourable, with copious verbatim quotations. The Tory and

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

perspectives of contributors came through clearly, however. Besides Smollett, the writers of the first two volumes have been identified as John Armstrong, Samuel Derrick,

Thomas Francklin Thomas Francklin (1721 – 15 March 1784) was an English academic, clergyman, writer and dramatist Life Francklin was the son of Richard Francklin, bookseller near the Piazza in Covent Garden, London, who printed William Pulteney's paper ''The ...

, and

Patrick Murdoch Patrick Murdoch (died 1774) was an author, publisher and mathematician, who published a biography of poet James Thomson, and also ''An account of Sir Isaac Newton's philosophical discoveries'' by Colin MacLaurin. Life He was a native of Dumfrie ...

. After a

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defi ...

against Admiral Sir Charles Knowles in the ''Review'', Smollett was sentenced to a fine of £100 and three months in King's Bench Prison. In 1763 he retired from the ''Review'', but left it as an influential publication.

Sources

External links

Full texts
at the Internet Archive
Eighteenth-Century Book Tracker for ''The Critical Review''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Critical Review, The Newspapers published in Scotland Publications established in 1756 Publications disestablished in 1817 1756 establishments in Great Britain 1817 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom