Thomas Evans (bookseller, born 1742)
Thomas Evans (1742–1784) was a London bookseller, one of two of the same name in the middle of the 18th century.
Life[edit]
Evans served an apprenticeship with Charles Marsh of Round Court and Charing Cross, and opened a bookshop in the Strand, London. He published works on English literature and antiquities, many edited by himself.[1]
A leading member of the booksellers' club in the Grecian Coffee-house, to which Thomas Davies belonged, Evans was popular. Unlike his namesake Thomas Evans (1739–1803), he was on good terms with Oliver Goldsmith, and collected the first London edition of his writings.[1]
Evans died on 30 April 1784.[1]
Works[edit]
Evans wrote or edited:[1]
- Poems by Mr. W. Shakespeare [London, 1774].
- A History of Wales by Caradoc of Lhancarvan. Englished by Dr. Powell, London, 1774.
- Memoirs of the Cardinal de Retz, translated, London, 1774, 4 vols.
- The Works of Richard Savage, London, 1775, 2 vols.
- The Works of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, London, 1775, 2 vols.
- The English, Scotch, and Irish Historical Libraries, by Bishop W. Nicolson, a new edition, London, 1776.
- A Solemn Declaration of Mr. Daniel Perreau, written by himself, London, 1776. Daniel Perreau (c.1734–1776) was a forger of bonds, hanged in 1776.[2]
- Desiderata Curiosa, by Francis Peck, new edition, London, 1779, 2 vols. Evans submitted in it a proposal to reprint Thomas Tanner's Notitia Monastica, some years later published by James Nasmith in a new edition.
- Poetical Works of Matthew Prior, London, 1779, 2 vols.
- Poetical and Dramatic Works of O. Goldsmith, London, 1780, 2 vols.
- Old Ballads, Historical and Narrative, with some of Modern Date, now first collected and reprinted from Rare Copies and MSS., with Notes by T. Evans, London, 1784, 2 vols. First edition, 1777, 2 vols.; third edition, edited by R. H. Evans, his son, 1810, 4 vols. This was his major work.
- The Works of Francis Rabelais, translated, London, 1784, 4 vols.
Family[edit]
Evans left a widow Ann and a young son, Robert Harding Evans.[1][3]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 18. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ Andrew, Donna T.; Perreau, Robert. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/65813.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) - ^ Tierney, James E. "Evans, Thomas". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8982. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1889). "Evans, Thomas (1742-1784)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 18. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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