Edmund Curll

Edmund Curll
Edmund Curll
Born	circa 1675; West Country, England
Died	11 December 1747
Occupation(s)	Bookseller, publisher
Years active	1698–1747
Known for	Opportunistic and unscrupulous publishing methods; unauthorized publications; erotic literature; biographies; disputes with Alexander Pope

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Edmund Curll, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Edmund Curll (circa 1675 – 11 December 1747) was an English bookseller and publisher notorious for his opportunistic and often unscrupulous methods in the book trade. Emerging from humble beginnings, Curll established a modest publishing empire by exploiting scandals, distributing erotic literature, vending patent medicines, and turning any form of publicity to his advantage. His catalog included both esteemed and lowbrow titles, with a primary focus on profitability. Originating from the West Country, he commenced his career as an apprentice to a London bookseller in 1698.

Early commercial ventures

Following the completion of a seven-year apprenticeship, Curll began selling books at auctions. When his employer Richard Smith declared bankruptcy in 1708, Curll assumed control of the shop. Early in his career, he collaborated with fellow booksellers to author, publish, and retail pamphlets and books that capitalized on current public disputes. For instance, during the 1712 witch trial of Jane Wenham, these partners produced competing pamphlets that were distributed through their outlets, generating buzz via orchestrated disputes.

Curll’s inventory was remarkably diverse; he issued affordable publications aimed at tradespeople and servants, blending erotic literature with Christian devotional works, medical manuals, and Whig political writings. His offerings ranged from John Dunton's The Athenian Spy to titles like The Way of a Man with a Maid and The Devout Christian's Companion. Additionally, he aggressively marketed medicinal remedies. In 1708, Curll released The Charitable Surgeon, a fraudulent medical guide designed to discredit a competitor’s syphilis treatment while promoting his own mercury-based cure. Even after exposure by rival physician John Spinke, Curll persisted in advertising his product alongside expanded editions such as A new method of curing... gonorrhea.

By 1712, Curll’s prosperity allowed him to establish a branch in Tunbridge Wells and move to larger premises on Fleet Street. He began authoring pamphlets himself and partnered with Tory publisher John Morphew to exploit the controversy surrounding Henry Sacheverell, eventually recruiting one of Morphew’s writers into his own enterprise.

Unauthorized publications

A hallmark of Curll's enterprise was the unauthorized printing of works owned by others, frequently against the wishes of their authors. While often operating in legal gray areas, Curll occasionally engaged in outright piracy. In 1707, he announced plans to publish Poems on Several Occasions by Matthew Prior, despite exclusive rights held by Jacob Tonson. Despite Prior’s objections in 1716, Curll proceeded with publication, using the ensuing dispute to generate publicity. In 1710, he printed Jonathan Swift's Meditation Upon a Broomstick and produced explanatory "keys" to Swift's writings, including A Tale of a Tub in 1713 and an inaccurate key to Gulliver's Travels published in 1726. Swift resented Curll’s revelation of his authorship but was amused by the poor quality of these interpretations.

In 1717, Curll published a contested poem attributed to Edward Young; Young denied authorship and claimed that both the poem and the accompanying solicitation letter were forgeries, although the letter itself was genuine.

Curll’s involvement with the anonymously issued Court Poems in 1716 ignited a lengthy feud with Alexander Pope. He acquired anonymous poems by Pope, John Gay, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Despite Pope’s warnings against publication, Curll went ahead and confirmed their authorship publicly. In retaliation, Pope and his publisher Bernard Lintot poisoned Curll’s drink during a meeting, causing severe illness. Pope then circulated rumors as if Curll had died; however, Curll turned this notoriety into advantage by publishing scandalous works attacking Pope and reissuing them amid post-Jacobite rising tensions.

In 1716, Curll intensified hostilities by issuing a risqué version of Pope’s first Psalm and proclaiming himself as the future publisher of all Pope’s works. That same year he was imprisoned for publishing an account of the trial of the Earl of Winton. After his release, he published a biography of Dr. Robert South, former headmaster of Westminster School, but was violently attacked by students there—an event commemorated in a satirical poem by Samuel Wesley. Suspecting Pope’s involvement in this assault, Curll employed a "phantom poet," releasing "The Petticoat" under the pseudonym "J. Gay" (actually Francis Chute), aiming to divert sales from John Gay and undermine Pope and his associates.

Biographies, obscenity and "Curlicisms"

Curll became infamous for rapidly producing poorly written biographies of prominent individuals immediately following their deaths, valuing speed over factual accuracy. John Arbuthnot famously described Curll's biographies as "one of the new terrors of death." Curll encouraged the public to submit letters, recollections, and speeches, frequently compiling these contributions into full biographies without verifying their authenticity. When submissions were insufficient, he employed writers to invent material. In 1717 alone, he released biographies of Bishop Burnet and Elias Ashmole. He later issued a hastily composed biography of Jonathan Swift, fulfilling Swift’s own prediction. Curll largely avoided backlash until 1721, when his unauthorized biography of the Duke of Buckingham resulted in a trial before the House of Lords and legislation limiting publications about peers without consent.

Curll’s association with indecent literature was so well-known that the term "Curlicism" became interchangeable with literary obscenity. In 1718, he published Eunuchism Display'd, which Daniel Defoe denounced as pornographic, coining the phrase "Curlicism." Curll replied by issuing Curlicism Display'd, a pamphlet listing titles available in his shop, effectively serving as an advertisement. In 1723, he brought out A Treatise of the Use of Flogging in Venereal Affairs, a translated medical work accompanied by a suggestive frontispiece and related publications. The following year, Curll released Venus in the Cloister, a mildly erotic French translation that challenged church-imposed sexual restrictions. These publications triggered an anonymous complaint to the Lords on grounds of obscenity. Seizing on the controversy, Curll published The Humble Representation of Edmund Curll and quickly issued a new edition of Venus in the Cloister. Arrested in March and detained until July, Curll faced prosecution not for obscenity—as no such statute existed—but for libel. His apology subtly doubled as promotion for his latest books.

During his imprisonment, Curll met John Ker, who intended to publish memoirs revealing state secrets from Queen Anne’s reign. Concerned about the sensitive content, Curll sought Robert Walpole’s permission; receiving no response, he proceeded with publication. The final volume was completed by Curll’s son Henry; both were arrested and incarcerated for fourteen months until February 1728. They were fined for publishing Nun in her Smock and The Use of Flogging and sentenced to an hour in the pillory for Ker’s memoirs. On pillory day, Curll issued a broadsheet asserting his publication was loyal to the late queen; rather than punishment, the crowd applauded him and carried him away on their shoulders.

The Dunciad

In 1726, Pope and Curll clashed anew when Curll published some of Pope's letters without permission. In retaliation, Pope harshly satirized Curll in the 1728 Dunciad, targeting him more severely than other figures such as Lewis Theobald and Colley Cibber. Curll responded by producing a pirated edition of the poem, creating a "Key" to it, and issuing satirical poems attacking Pope personally. Notable counterworks included The Popiad (possibly authored by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu), The Female Dunciad, and The Twickenham Hotch-Potch (all published in 1728). Pope’s 1729 Dunciad Variorum further assailed Curll through prose passages, prompting Curll’s own reply titled The Curliad: a Hypercritic upon the Dunciad Variorum, which incorporated an autobiography along with defenses against obscenity accusations and his disputes with Pope.

Later in 1729, Curll attempted to issue works by William Congreve. After criticism from John Arbuthnot, Curll renamed his shop "Congreve's Head," displaying a bust of Congreve as provocation toward Arbuthnot and Congreve’s associates. In 1731, he relocated to Burleigh Street, advertising an upcoming biography of Pope with the remark, "Nothing shall be wanting but his (universally desired) Death." A correspondent identified as "P.T." offered Curll forged letters from Pope—a trap set by Pope himself—who later published corrected versions in 1735. That same year saw another move by Curll; he renamed his shop "Pope's Head" and sold books under Pope’s sign. In 1737, he published five volumes containing Pope's letters. A court ruling in 1741 favored Pope, establishing that authors hold copyright over their letters even though recipients do not possess copyright rights.

Merryland

During the final phase of his career, Curll issued a collection of "Merryland" volumes, which stand as significant works within the English erotic fiction tradition of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These texts employed geographical allegories to represent the human anatomy. The earliest example is believed to be Erotopolis: The Present State of Bettyland (1684), likely authored by Charles Cotton, which Curll later incorporated in a shortened version within The Potent Ally: or Succours from Merryland (1741). Additional publications under Curll's imprint comprised Thomas Stretzer’s A New Description of Merryland (1740), Merryland Displayed (1741), and the cartographic compilation A Compleat Set of Charts of the Coasts of Merryland (1745).

Curll maintained his blend of "Curlicisms" alongside more earnest publications until his passing. His testament revealed no heirs beyond his spouse. He died in London on 11 December 1747.

References

Baines, Paul and Pat Rogers. Edmund Curll, Bookseller. Oxford University Press, 2007.
MacKenzie, Raymond N. "Edmund Curll," in H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 8, 714–719. London: Oxford UP, 2004.