'One wit, like a knuckle of ham in soup, gives a zest and flavour to the dish, but more than one serves only to spoil the pottage'.
~ From The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771)
Happy 300th Birthday to the delightful Scottish author Tobias Smollett (1721-1771)!
Smollett, whose literary output included plays, poetry, travel narratives and such wonderfully picaresque novels as The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748) and The Adventures of Peregrin Pickle (1751), was a great influence on later writers such as Charles Dickens. George Orwell referred to him as, 'Scotland's best novelist'.
Shown here is a selection of Smollett's books - some in their first edition - from the Turnbull Library's Rare Books and Fine Printing Collection.