Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Selections From the Edinburgh Review, 1833, Vol. 1 of 4: Comprising the Best Articles in That Journal, From Its Commencement to the Present Time; With a Preliminary Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes
The publication of the Edinburgh Review has been justly regarded as forming an important epoch in the history of periodical literature No critical and political journal ever obtained so brilliant a celebrity, or gave so powerful an impulse to public opinion. That its merits may be properly appreciated, it will be necessary, before making any observations on its history and principles, to give a brief sketch of the most distinguished works of the kind by which it was preceded, and to advert to those circumstances, in the intellectual and political condition of society, previously to its appearance, that contributed to its success.
The origin of reviewing has been traced to Photius. His "Bibliotheca" resembled, in some degree, the early English Reviews, which aspired to no higher merit than that of giving extracts from new books. It consisted exclusively of abridged notices of the works he had read during his embassy in Persia, and was not designed to perform the office of a critical journal. France has the honour of giving birth to this species of publication. Denis de Sallo, a counsellor in the parliament of Paris, and a man of eminent literary attainments, established, in 1655, a Review, the "Journal des Scavans," - on the plan of those which exist at present. It was a weekly publication, and contained reviews of the most popular and distinguished productions in every department of literature. The style of criticism was bold and sarcastic, and exposed the editor to the resentment of the authors he held up to ridicule. To shield himself from the personal attacks to which the severity of his criticisms made him liable, De Sallo published his Journal in the name of Sieur de Hedouville, his footman.
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