Robert Bisset (c. 1759 – 14 May 1805) was a Scottish writer, best known as the biographer of

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

and of

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele ( – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright and politician best known as the co-founder of the magazine ''The Spectator (1711), The Spectator'' alongside his close friend Joseph Addison. Early life Steel ...

and other contributors to ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''.

Life

Robert Bisset was the son of Rev. Dr. Bisset, minister of

Logierait Logierait () is a village and parish in Atholl, Scotland. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Tay and Tummel, west of the A9 road in Perth and Kinross. Its name originates from Gaelic , meaning the little hollow of the earth-walled ...

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

. Though he studied for the church in Edinburgh, Robert Bisset eventually became a Doctor of Laws and moved to England. He was editor of the short-lived ''The Historical Magazine; or Classical Library of Public Events'' from November 1788 to December 1792. Bisset's ''Biographical Sketch of the Authors of the Spectator'', the first volume of an eight-volume edition of the ''Spectator'', included sketches of Addison, Steele,

Thomas Parnell Thomas Parnell may refer to: * Thomas Parnell (scientist) * Thomas Parnell (poet) See also

* J. Parnell Thomas, American stockbroker and politician {{hndis, Parnell, Thomas ...

John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...

Eustace Budgell Eustace Budgell (19 August 1686 – 4 May 1737) was an English writer and politician. Life and career Born in St Thomas near Exeter, he was the son of Gilbert Budgell, D.D. by his first wife Mary, only daughter of Bishop William Gulston of Bri ...

, Laurence Eusden,

Thomas Tickell Thomas Tickell (17 December 1685 – 23 April 1740) was a minor England, English poet and man of letters. Life The son of a clergyman, he was born at Bridekirk near Cockermouth, Cumberland. He was educated at St Bees School 1695–1701, and in ...

and

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

. His ''Life of Edmund Burke'' (1798) praised Burke highly, defending his political consistency against detractors. Bisset also wrote two novels, two proslavery tracts, "and a spate of polemical, antidemocratic writing".

Works

*''A Biographical Sketch of the Authors of the Spectator''. Volume I of Bisset, ed., ''Spectator'', 8 vols, London, 1793–1794. *''Sketch of Democracy'', London, 1796. *''The Life of Edmund Burke'', London, 1798. *''Douglas; or, The Highlander'', London, 1800. *''The History of the Reign of George III to the Termination of the Late War'', 6 vols, London, 1803. *''Modern Literature'', 3 vols, London, 1804. *''The History of the Negro Slave Trade in its connection with the commerce and prosperity of the West Indies, and the wealth and power of the British empire'', 2 vols, London, 1805.

References

External links

*
Works by Robert Bisset
at

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1750s births 1805 deaths British biographers {{scotland-writer-stub