Proposals for publishing by subscription, a new, entire, and neat edition of Porcupine's Works / [Dated Philadelphia, 5 Feb. 1799].

  • Cobbett, William, 1763-1835
Date:
[1799?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Proposals for publishing by subscription, a new, entire, and neat edition of Porcupine's Works / [Dated Philadelphia, 5 Feb. 1799]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Q politician to avoid the breakers, which furround the yawning and infernal gulph of democracy. After having thus frankly acknowledged the humble merits of my work, I can, with the lefs hefi- tation, proceed to Hate the flattering circumftances, which have induced me to undertake a new and complete edition of it, in a form more commodious than any in which it has hitherto appeared Of each Pamphlet, publifbed under my affumed name of Peter Porcupine, about fix thoufand copies, upon an average, have been printed and fold in America. The fale ot thofe, which have been ho- noured by a re-publication in England, lias, probab- ly, been much greater. All of them, I believe, have palled through three or four, and fome, in an abridged ftate, have attained to ten, twelve, and even feventeen editions. On Porcupine’s Gazette no obfervation of this fort is required, as its fuperi- ority, in point of extenfive circulation, over all others, in this country, has long been univerfaily known and acknowledged. I am aware, that it will be faid, and with great truth, that this almoft unparalleled fuccefs is to be aferibed folely to the goodnefs ©f the caufe which I have efpoufed; but this, fo far from being a difeouragement to my prefent undertaking, is the very circumftance on which 1 place my princi- pal reliance* There are few of the pamphlets now remaining on hand, and thofe very far from being in a perfect ftate. In fa£t there are fevera'l, of which I pofl'efs only the fingle copy that has been referved to re- print from. And, as to the Gazette, fuch has been the increafing demand for it, that, though tor a long time I laid by a hundred files tor fale, I can, at this moment, make up but three complete for the firfl year, neither of which, ltriftly fpeaking, can be called my own property. Thus iituated, the orders which I have received, from all parts, for complete fets of the pamphlets and complete files ot the papers have been a mortification to me rather than a plea fure