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6 unusual facts about The Public Ledger


Public Ledger

The Public Ledger, an agricultural commodities journal first published in 1760 and still published today.

The Public Ledger

Reverend William Jackson, a noted Irish preacher, journalist, playwright, radical and spy, was editor in 1766, while Irish political informant Leonard McNally held the position in the 1780s.

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Oliver Goldsmith was known to have written for The Public Ledger, including most famously the Chinese Letters where he poses as a traveller from China to comment on Western behaviour and values.

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It was established by John Newbery, who was better known for his pioneering children's literature.

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Founder John Newbery, son of a farmer in Berkshire, took an apprenticeship with William Carnan in Reading, inheriting the business after his mentor's death.

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Hugh Kelly, an Irish dramatist and poet, also held the post before his death in 1777, while Alexander Chalmers did so some time after 1777.



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