DEFOE, Daniel (formerly attrib.).

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The History of the Press-Yard: First edition of this key source for Newgate prison in the age of Defoe, unquestionably one of its most famous inmates. Although academic writers often attribute the work to Defoe to this day, his bibliographers generally dispute this. Defoe's frequently clandestine approach to publication, and his ability to write persuasively on any side of an issue, has resulted in an ever-changing canon. By the late 19th century, when this work was rebound, almost 400 titles were assigned to Defoe - nearly 300 more than listed in the first (1790) bibliography of his work. Many of these claims were based on subjective internal evidence of style and content. The attribution of the History to Defoe is easiest to understand on thematic grounds: he had spent five months in Newgate in 1703, a spell which defined the course of his life for many years to come. Moll Flanders spent several equally key periods of her life there. The work certainly reflects on people Defoe had known personally, including the prison chaplain Paul Lorrain, although the History is considerably more sympathetic to him than Defoe was in his correspondence.The History discusses Newgate's layout, conditions, and customs, paying particular attention to its use as a prison for Jacobite rebels after 1715.

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