Gulliver’s Travels at 300

Swift’s famous Gulliver’s Travels was published on 28 October 1726, and was an immediate sensation: ‘From the highest to the lowest it is universally read, from the Cabinet-council to the Nursery’ (John Gay). This talk is part of the 300^th anniversary celebrations taking place around the world. It will introduce the novel and also offer a ‘view from Blefuscu’ (Wolfe Tone’s name for Belfast, taken from Part I of Swift’s fiction) in noting local connections, including Swift’s own copy of that first edition, with unique annotations, which is held in the Robinson Library, Armagh.