John Trusler

John Trusler
Born	1735 Hanover Square, London, England
Died	1820 Bathwick, Bath, England
Occupation(s)	Cleric, literary assembler, printer, bookseller, self-taught medical practitioner
Years active	1757–1820
Known for	Printing sermons for clergy; literary works and compilations; printing and bookselling business

Revd John Trusler (1735–1820) was a distinctive English cleric, literary assembler, and self-taught medical practitioner.

Early life

Born in July 1735 in Hanover Square, London, Trusler was the son of a proprietor who managed the public tea gardens located in Marylebone. At the age of ten, he enrolled at Westminster School and subsequently attended Mr Fountaine's academy in Marylebone. He earned his B.A. from Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1757. Upon returning home, he translated several Italian burlettas for performance on the English stage, including one attributed to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, which was staged in Marylebone Gardens in 1757; however, it is possible that Stephen Storace was the actual translator.

Ordination

Trusler entered the priesthood in 1759 and fulfilled curacies in various parishes such as Enford, Ware, Hertford, Colchester, Ockley, and at St Clement Danes in London. In 1761, Dr Bruce, chaplain to the king, appointed him as an assistant and secured for him the chaplaincy at the Poultry Compter. Additionally, he held a lectureship within the city and resided in Rotherhithe.

In 1762, Trusler established an academy focused on teaching oratory through mechanical methods; however, it proved financially unsuccessful and was soon discontinued. Seeking medical education, he studied under Drs Hunter and Fordyce and attended Leyden University aiming for an M.D., though there is no formal record of his graduation. He frequently adopted the titles doctor or LL.D. From 1765, he directed the Literary Society, which aimed to eliminate traditional publishers.

In 1769, Trusler introduced a profitable initiative by printing approximately 150 sermons in script type priced at one shilling each, designed to assist clergy by reducing their preparation time. Subsequently, he expanded into a significant printing and bookselling enterprise with locations on Red Lion Street, Clerkenwell, and Boyle Street in London. Later years saw him living off the income from this business while residing in Bath and holding an estate at Englefield Green, Middlesex.

His autobiography's first part appeared in 1806 titled The Memoirs of the Life of the Revd. Dr. Trusler, but no further sections were published; it is said he attempted to suppress this work. The remaining portions of his memoirs were unpublished but reportedly possessed by James Crossley of Manchester as of 1851.

Trusler passed away in 1820 at Villa House, Bathwick, Bath. He married in 1759; his wife died three years later in 1762. An engraved portrait of him exists.

Selected publications

Among Trusler’s significant works are:

• ‘The Difference between Words esteemed Synonyms, in the English Language; and the proper choice of them determined’ (anonymous), two volumes, London, 1766. Later editions appeared under his name in 1783, followed by versions in 1794 and a reprint in 1835.
• ‘Hogarth Moralized. Being a complete edition of Hogarth's Works. Containing near fourscore copperplates,’ London, 1768. Released with consent from the painter’s widow; subsequent editions include a two-volume set published in 1821 and a newly engraved edition by John Major in 1831. The 1838 edition incorporated anecdotes by J. Hogarth and J. Nichols; Trusler’s plate commentary featured within the complete works issued between 1861–62.
• ‘Chronology: or, a concise view of the Annals of England,’ London, 1769; later republished as ‘Chronology, or the Historian's Vade Mecum,’ with expanded editions culminating in a fourteenth enlarged edition across three volumes (1792–1802).
• ‘Principles of Politeness,’ compiled from ‘Lord Chesterfield's Letters,’ first issued in 1775; reached its eighteenth edition by 1790 and reissued as 'The New Chesterfield' circa 1836.
• 'A descriptive Account of the Islands lately discovered in the South Seas... With some Account of the Country of Camchatka,' London, 1778—an abridged version of Cooke's Voyages.
• 'Practical Husbandry, or the Art of Farming, with certainty of gain,' London, 1780; attained its fifth edition by 1820.
• 'Luxury no Political Evil' [circa 1780].
• 'Poetic Endings, or a Dictionary of Rhymes,' London, 1783.
• 'A concise View of the Common and Statute Law of England,' 1784; an abridgment based on Blackstone's Commentaries.
• 'The Sublime Reader,' London, 1784.
• 'Compendium of Useful Knowledge,' initially published in 1784 with multiple subsequent editions.
• 'Modern Times, or the Adventures of Gabriel Outcast,' a satirical novel released anonymously across three volumes (1785).
• 'The London Adviser and Guide,' editions from both 1786 and 1790.
• 'The Honours of the Table, or Rules for Behaviour during Meals; with the whole Art of Carving,' London, 1788; reached its fifth edition by 1795.
• 'The Habitable World described,' an extensive twenty-volume series published between 1788 and 1797.
• 'Six Years Travel Through Tartary', translation of Peter Simon Pallas's travels through eastern Russia (1788).
• 'The Progress of Man and Society,' featuring woodcuts by J. Bewick around 1790–91.
• 'Proverbs Exemplified,' illustrated with prints by J. Bewick, London, 1790.
• 'Life, or the Adventures of William Ramble, Esq.' (anonymous), a three-volume novel published in 1793.
• 'Monthly Communications,' a periodical initiated in 1793.
• 'The Way to be Rich and Respectable,' seventh edition released by 1796.
• 'A Compendium of Sacred History,' compiled from Stackhouse's History of the Bible (1797).
• 'A System of Etiquette,' first printed at Bath in 1804; third edition issued in London by 1828.
• 'Detached Philosophic Thoughts on Man, Life, Death, and Immortality,' two volumes published at Bath circa [1810].
• 'A Sure Way to lengthen Life with Vigor; particularly in Old Age,' authored by Dr Trusler at age eighty-four; two volumes printed at Bath (1819). This work developed from an earlier publication first released in 1770 that saw five editions.

Sources

• Autobiography; Annuaire Nécrologique, 1822, p. 339.
• Biographical Dictionary of Living Authors, 1816, pp. 355, 447.
• Critical Review, 1780, p. 442.
• Cromwell's Clerkenwell, p. 171.
• Pinks's Clerkenwell.
• Donaldson's Agricultural Biography, p. 65.
• The Gentleman's Magazine, 1778 p. 85, 1804 ii. 1105, 1820 ii. 89, 120, 1854 i. 114.
• London Chronicle, advertisement dated 18 January 1770.
• Lowndes's Bibl. Man. (Bohn).
• Marshall's Catalogue of 500 celebrated Authors, 1788.
• New Monthly Magazine, 1820, ii. 353.
• Nichols's Life of Hogarth.
• Notes and Queries, 3rd series iii. 133, 5th series iv. 345.
• Rivers's Literary Memoirs of Living Authors, 1798, ii. 329.
• St. James's Chronicle, issue from 26 January 1769.
• Catalogue of Dawson Turner's manuscripts, p. 287.
• Willis's Current Notes, 1853, p. 41.