Project Gutenberg 2004-11-18 Public domain in the USA. 127 Defoe, Daniel 1731 Defo, Daniel John, Gabriel Moreton, Andrew Defoë, Daniel Williams, Clinton Williams, Otho Clinton 51012967 A Vindication of the Press Augustan Reprint Society, publication number 29 Produced by David Starner, Keith M. Eckrich, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "A Vindication of the Press" by Daniel Defoe is a pamphlet written in the early 18th century, specifically in 1718, during the Augustan era. This work serves as a defense of the freedom and usefulness of writing, as well as a critique of the emerging practice of literary criticism. Defoe articulates the vital role of the press in safeguarding individual liberties and safeguarding against tyranny while responding to criticisms of contemporary authors. In the pamphlet, Defoe divides his arguments into three main sections. He begins by asserting the necessity of writing for the advancement of knowledge and religion, pointing out the value it holds for civil governance and intellectual pursuits. He then critiques the nature of criticism, expressing concern about how malicious reviews can stifle new writers and lead to a culture of envy towards established authors. Defoe also discusses the characteristics and qualifications that an author should possess, emphasizing the importance of natural talent over formal education. Throughout, he defends the plight of professional writers, highlighting their need to produce works for their livelihood and the societal role of the press in promoting free discourse. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 42.5 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Authorship PR Text Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: British Literature Category: Journalism/Media/Writing 98504 2025-07-06T08:15:16.663425 text/html 98528 98387 2024-11-06T11:14:36.961357 2023-10-06T11:43:26.642970 text/html text/html 109820 2025-07-06T08:15:21.735400 application/epub+zip 109317 2025-07-06T08:15:19.306407 application/epub+zip 98267 2025-07-06T08:15:18.283422 application/epub+zip 230960 2025-07-06T08:15:23.472371 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 218713 2025-07-06T08:15:21.113383 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 172074 2022-09-07T14:29:56.756913 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 84503 2025-07-06T08:15:16.429407 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 64619 2024-10-28T21:06:25 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18161 2025-07-06T08:15:23.598386 application/rdf+xml 13959 2025-07-06T08:15:18.767381 image/jpeg 3787 2025-07-06T08:15:18.523393 image/jpeg 109418 2025-07-06T08:15:16.672411 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia More titles under Johnson, Charles