Biography / Clive Probyn -- Friends and family / Emrys Jones -- Health and sickness / Helen Deutsch -- Reason and unreason / Allan Ingram -- Book trade / Stephen Karian -- Popular culture / Pat Rogers -- Translations and reception abroad / Hermann J. Real -- Critical reception before 1900 / Katherine Turner -- Critical reception after 1900 / James Ward -- Reputation in Ireland / Aileen Douglas and Ian Campbell Ross -- Ancients and moderns / Paddy Bullard -- Travel and exploration / Shef Rogers -- Profession of letters / Paul Baines -- Women writers / Ben Wilkinson-Turnbull -- Style and language / Cynthia Wall -- Satire / Clare Bucknell -- Pamphleteering and political journalism / J. A. Downie -- Familiar verse / Daniel Cook -- Fables and fantasy / Jayne Lewis -- Parody and hoax / Valerie Rumbold -- Sermons / Ian Higgins -- History / Joseph Hone -- Correspondence curra / Louise Curran -- The novel / Nicholas Seager -- Literary scene: England / Brean Hammond -- Party politics / Joseph Hone -- Clubs / Corrina Readioff -- Walpole and the opposition / Christine Gerrard -- The Church of England / David Manning -- Dissent / Nicholas McDowell -- London / Pat Rogers -- Literary scene: Ireland / Andrew Carpenter -- The Church of Ireland / Christopher Fauske -- Dublin / David Dickson -- Philosophy / Tom Jones -- Science / Gregory Lynall -- Race / Joseph Hone -- Material culture / Kelly Fleming -- Gender / Katherine Aske -- Colonialism / Robbie Richardson -- The body / Leah Benedict -- Demography / Benjamin Bankhurst -- Food / Henry Power -- Economics / Claire Wilkinson