John Newbery: The past, present and future

Good tidings, dear reader. I come to you today from the netherworld, a fleeting, flickering phantasm.

Ah, but when I lived, how I did live! I was as jolly and lively a gentleman as any you would wish to meet.

Eternally at your service, I am the esteemed Englishman John Newbery (1713-1767). Back in my day, I was known as “Jack the Whirler,” for I was forever on the go as a bookseller, publisher and author.