Contemporary Reviews of Haywood's New Present for a Servant-Maid (1771)

Below are transcripts of two contemporary reviews of Eliza Haywood's A New Present for a Servant-Maid (1771), a revision of A Present for a Servant-Maid (1743), with links to the original texts (now on Google Books). See here for a complete list of early reviews of Haywood's works available online.

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Ab.58.9 A New Present for a Servant-Maid, Monthly Review 46 (April 1772): 463 (Article 59)—online here

Art. 59. A new Present for a Servant-Maid: containing Rules for her moral Conduct, both with respect to herself and her Superiors: the whole Art of Cookery, Pickling, Preserving, &c. With Marketing Tables, and Tables for calling- up Expences, &c. By Mrs. Haywood. 12mo. 2s. bound, Pearch, &c. 1771.

The Present for a Servant-Maid has been published, as a twelve-penny pamphlet, above 20 years; and was esteemed by your good housewifes (the race was not quite extinct, in this island, about 20 years ago) as a well-designed and valuable tract. The additions now made, relating to Cookery, and other domestic concerns, must render the work still more extensively useful.

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Ab.58.9 A New Present for a Servant-Maid, The Critical Review 33 (June 1772): 500 (Art.43)—online here

43. A new Present for a Servant-Maid. 12mo. 2s. Pearch.

This is an improved edition of a pamphlet which has long been considered as useful.

Contemporary Reviews of Haywood's Clementina (1768)

Below are transcripts of three contemporary reviews of Eliza Haywood's Clementina (1768), a revision of The Agreeable Caledonian (1728–29), with links to the original texts (now on Google Books). See here for a complete list of early reviews of Haywood's works available online.

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Ab.41.3 Clementina, Critical Review 25 (January 1768): 59 (Article 14)—online here

14. Clementina; or, the History of an Italian Lady, who made her Escape from a Monastery, for the Love of a Scots Nobleman, 12mo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Noble.

This is a republication of a dull, profligate, Haywoodian production, in which all the males are rogues, and all the females whores, without a glimpse of plot, fable, or sentiment

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Ab.41.3 Clementina, The London Review 37 (January 1768): 47–48—online here

Clementina, or, The History of an Italian Lady, who made her Escape from a Monastery, for the Love of a Scots Nobleman, Noble.

In an advertisement prefixed to this little volume we learn, that it was written by Mrs. Haywood in the year 1728, and published under the title of the Agreeable Caledonian, so that it is now only vamped up with little more that a different title-page, and cannot consequently claim any attention as a new production.

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Ab.41.3 Clementina, Monthly Review 38 (May 1768): 412 (Article 45)—online here

Art. 45. Clementina; or the History of an Italian Lady, who made her Escape from a Monastery, for the Love of a Scots Nobleman. 12mo. 3s. Noble.

We are told, in the advertisement prefixed to this Novel, that, it is not a new work; that it made its first appearance in 1728, under the title of The Agreeable Caledonian; that its author was the late Mrs. Eliza Haywood; and that the present edition is printed from a copy corrected by her, not long before her death,—It is like the rest of Mrs. Haywood's novels, written in a tawdry style, now utterly exploded; the romances of these days being reduced much nearer to the standard of nature, and to the manners of the living world.

Contemporary Reviews of Haywood's History of Leonora Meadowson (1788)

Below are transcripts of two contemporary reviews of Eliza Haywood's The History of Miss Leonora Meadowson (1788), a revision of Cleomelia (1726), with links to the original texts (now on Google Books). See here for a complete list of early reviews of Haywood's works available online.

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Ab.35.2 The History of Leonora Meadowson, Critical Review 65 (March 1788): 236—online here

The History of Leonora Meadowson. By the Author of Betsy Thoughtless. 2 Vols. 5s. Noble.

The spirit which dictated Betsy Thoughtless is evaporated; the fire of the author scarcely sparkles. Even two meagre volumes could not be filled, without a little History of Melinda Fairfax;—without the Tale of Cornaro and the Turk,—a tale told twice, in verse and prose,—a tale already often published, and as often read.[**] Alas, poor author! we catch with regret thy parting breath.

But, as this is probably the last time that we shall meet, as we owe somewhat to the author of Betsy Thoughtless, our first guide in these delusive walks of fiction and fancy, we mast give a short account of the present work.—Leonora yields indiscreetly to the wishes of her first lover; she then marries another; the marries again, before she is happy, with the faithful Fleetwood, whom she thought inconstant. Mrs. Munden acted more prudently, though at first thoughtless and indiscreet. The tale is, however, neatly told, and we are interested in the fate of our heroine, notwithstanding her first indiscretion, and her two subsequent very unaccountable matches.

The story of Melinda Fairfax is that of the “Guardian,” which has been so often seen on the stage, though with some little variation. The Tale of Cornaro is well known: the poetical version we do not recollect. If it is the work of the author, he deserves our applause: the versification is elegant, and sometimes highly poetical. The descriptive parts are extremely well executed.

[**seemingly, a reference to John Whaley, "Cornaro and the Turk: A Tale," A Collection of Original Poems and Translations (London: Printed for the Author, 1745), 1–28 [ESTC: t101302], which was often reprinted. The Tale starts "Where, 'mid Italia's ever sunny lands; / Fast by the streams of Po, Ferrara stands." For reprints online, see here (1780, often reprinted), here (1807) and here (1811, sans title).]

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Ab.35.2 The History of Leonora Meadowson, Town and Country Magazine 20 (April 1788): 154—online here.

The History of Leonora Meadowson. By the Author of Betsy Thoughtless 2 Vols. 5s. Noble.

In this work very little of the author's original fancy and spirit is to be found; but the poetical version of Camaro, a tale well known, is elegant and well executed.

Bibliothèque Britannique, 1733-1747

Bibliothèque Britannique, ou Histoire des Ouvrages des Savans de la Grande-Bretagne is one of the lesser-known eighteenth-century French journals which reviewed English books for French readers. It has also been one of the less accessible French journals, as Frank Beckwith explained in 1933 in an article in The Library. (F. Beckwith, "The Bibliotheque Britannique, 1733-47," The Library, 4th ser., 12 (1931): 75–82.)

In 2008, however, runs of the journal from a range of libraries began to appear on Google Books and now there are multiple copies of every issue freely available. The contributing libraries, and the date of contribution, are: Oxford University (October 2006); Princeton University (July 2008); Ghent University (November 2008); University of Madrid (July 2009); University of Lausanne (October 2009); Lyon Public Library (April 2011); Bavarian State Library (September 2011), Austrian National Library (October 2011).

Unfortunately, Google Books suck at cataloguing, so I have made the following list to simplify the task of finding a copy of each quarterly issue. When I recently made a similar finding-list of volumes of American Book-Prices Current etc (see here) I was asked why I did not make my list on OpenLibrary.org or Library Thing. The simple answer is, I don't know how; but it is also more convenient for me to put things on my web-log/blog than on another site, and I have greater editorial control here too. Which means, if I ever wanted to provide a link to each copy of each issue contributed by each library, I could.

So, below you will find a link to a copy of each volume (the best I can find online), which is unfailingly two quarterly volumes bound together. Since the first issue of Bibliothèque Britannique covered April–June and the second July–September, each volume of two quarterly issues (the Premiere et Seconde partie of each Tome) contains either these two quarters (Q2 and Q3) or October–December and January–March (Q4 and Q1). Note, there was a hiatus in production between Q3 1744 and Q2 1746, so that vol.23 spans Q2 1744–Q3 1746.

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Tome Premier (vol.1, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1733): here.
Tome Second (vol.2, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1733–34): here.
Tome Troisieme (vol.3, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1734): here.
Tome Quatrieme (vol.4, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1734–35): here.
Tome Cinquieme (vol.5, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1735): here.
Tome Sixieme (vol.6, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1735–36): here.
Tome Septieme (vol.7, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1736): here.
Tome Huitieme (vol.8, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1736–37): here.
Tome Neuvieme (vol.9, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1737): here.
Tome Dixieme (vol.10, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1737–38): here.

Tome Onzieme (vol.11, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1738): here.
Tome Douzieme (vol.12, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1738–39): here.
Tome Treizieme (vol.13, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1739): here.
Tome Quatorzieme (vol.14, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1739–40): here.
Tome Quinzieme (vol.15, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1740): here.
Tome Seizieme (vol.16, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1740–41): here.
Tome Dix-Septieme (vol.17, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1741): here.
Tome Dix-Huitieme (vol.18, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1741–42): here.
Tome Dix-Neuvieme (vol.19, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1742): here.
Tome Vingtieme (vol.20, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1742–43): here.

Tome Vingt-Unieme (vol.21, pt.1–2; Q2,3 1743): here.
Tome Vingt-Deuxieme (vol.22, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1743–44): here.
Tome Vingt-Troisieme (vol.23, pt.1–2; Q2 1744, Q3 1746): here.
Tome Vingt-Quatrieme (vol.24, pt.1–2; Q4,1 1746–47): here.

Tome Vingt-Cinquieme [Index volumes] (vol.25, pt.1–2; 1747): here.

[UPDATED 9 September 2013]