Richardson, Samuel
Richardson, Samuel ( 1689 – 1761 ),the son of a joiner, born near Derby, where his parents lived briefly before returning to London. Little is known of his boyhood, but because of his father's comparative poverty he appears to have received (in his own words) ‘only common School-learning’. The tradition that he attended either Merchant Taylors' or Christ 's Hospital cannot be substantiated. As a boy he read widely, told stories to his friends, and by the age of 13 was employed writing letters for young lovers. In 1706 he was apprenticed to a printer (as his father could not afford to enter him for the Church), and in 1715 he was admitted a freeman of the Stationers' Company . He set up in business on his own in 1721 , in which year he married Martha Wilde , the daughter of his former master. All his working life he was extremely industrious, and his business prospered and expanded steadily. Like all printers of his...
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