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John Stockdale (25 March 1750〔Probable - Stockdale (2005) ''p.''117〕 – 21 June 1814) was an English publisher whose London shop became a salon for the political classes and who had to face two actions for defamation. One by the House of Commons became a ''cause célèbre'' and resulted in an important change in the law. ==Life== John Stockdale was born in Caldbeck,〔 Cumberland, the son of Priscilla Stockdale (1726–1789) and, Joseph Stockdale.〔 He is believed to have been raised as a blacksmith, like his father,〔 and then to have become valet to John Astley of Dukinfield, Cheshire. He married Mary Ridgway, a native of Roe Cross, Mottram-in-Longdendale, Cheshire, and sister to James Ridgway, a well-known publisher of Piccadilly, London.〔Barker (2004)〕 He had met Mary in the Dukinfield Moravian chapel.〔 Stockdale moved to London about 1780 and worked as a porter to publisher John Almon, near to the premises of his brother in law. When Almon retired from business in favour of John Debrett, Stockdale opened a book shop in competition and, "being a man of natural parts, he soon became conspicuous in business in spite of much eccentricity of conduct and great coarseness of manners".〔''Gentleman's Magazine, June 1815〕 Both Stockdale's and Debrett's premises became meeting places for the political classes, Debrett's being frequented by the Whigs and Stockdale's by the supporters of William Pitt.〔 John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States lodged with Stockdale for two months during 1783.〔Stockdale (2005) ''p.''148〕 He was an industrious publisher and among the many works that he published were: *Adam Ferguson's ''History of the Progress and Termination of the Roman Republic'' (1783); *An edition of William Shakespeare's ''Dramatic Works'' (1784); *Bryan Edwards's ''History of the West Indies''; *George Chalmers' edition of Daniel Defoe's ''History of the Union''; *Arthur Phillip's ''Voyage to Botany Bay''; *Samuel Johnson's ''Works'' (1787) (volumes 12 and 13 of which Stockdale edited); *John Whitaker various works. *Hester Thrale's ''Retrospection: or, a review of the most striking and important events, characters, situations and their consequences, which the last eighteen hundred years have presented to the view of mankind'' (1801).〔 (Google Books)〕 He also issued the ''London Courant'' newspaper,〔 ''Debates in Parliament'' (1784–90), an edition of ''Robinson Crusoe'' and John Aikin's ''A Description of the Country from Thirty to Forty Miles round Manchester'' (1795), originally intended to be merely an account of the neighbourhood of Mottram-in-Longdendale, with which Stockdale had personal acquaintance.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John Stockdale」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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