Tupper, Martin Farquhar, 1810-1889

Martin Farquhar Tupper was born in London, and a severe stutter ended his academic advancement and hopes for a career as a clergyman or lawyer. He turned to writing poetry, and his third book, Proverbial Philosophy, proved to be a best-seller in England and America. Tupper's output was stupendous, and among his works can be found ebullient verses on almost any early Victorian popular concern. Despite his early popularity among the middle-class Victorians, Tupper's only real value, as the Athenaeum pointed out in 1854, is that his admittedly enormous sales "give us a kind of guide to the taste of certain classes of reader."

From the description of Martin Farquhar Tupper letters, 1858-1859. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 70193507

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