Sign-In
Cart
The Letters of Peter Plymley
Hardcover
CatholicismBritish HistorySocial Movements
ISBN13: 9781025325538
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 322
Weight: 1.38
Height: 0.75 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Letters of Peter Plymley is a masterclass in political satire and an enduring plea for religious tolerance. Written by the celebrated wit and clergyman Sydney Smith, these letters were instrumental in shaping public opinion during the intense debates over Catholic emancipation in the early nineteenth century. Composed under a pseudonym, the collection consists of ten letters addressed to a fictional brother, Abraham, a rural parson whose provincial fears reflect the common prejudices of the era.
With a unique blend of sharp humor, devastating logic, and humane pragmatism, Smith argues that the systemic discrimination against Roman Catholics was not only unjust but also a strategic threat to the security of the British Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. The work is renowned for its rhetorical brilliance and remains a significant historical document for those interested in the evolution of civil rights and the intersection of religion and politics. Readers will find in The Letters of Peter Plymley a compelling example of how literature can be used as a powerful tool for social and political reform, presented through one of the most distinctive voices in English prose.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
Smith, Sydney
Fitch & Smith Treasury: Featuring Mabel Murple, Toes in My Nose, & There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen
Fitch, Sheree
Hardcover
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 162
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Reeve, Henry
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 119
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Reeve, Henry
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 159
Jeffrey, Lord Francis Jeffrey
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
Six Sermons, Preached in Charlotte Chapel, Edinburgh, by the Reverend Sydney Smith,
Smith, Sydney
Hardcover
The Wit and Wisdom of Sydney Smith: A selection of the most memorable passages in his writings and conversations
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 0
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Cox, Harold
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal, Volume 161
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Reeve, Henry
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 169
Jeffrey, Lord Francis Jeffrey
Smith, Sydney
Lewis, George Cornewall
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 108
Jeffrey, Lord Francis Jeffrey
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal; Volume 135
Lewis, George Cornewall
Smith, Sydney
Reeve, Henry
Paperback
Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy: Delivered at the Royal Institution ... 1804, 1805 and 1806
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy: Delivered at the Royal Institution ... 1804, 1805 and 1806
Smith, Sydney
Hardcover
The Edinburgh Review, or Critical Journal, for January, 1866 to April, 1866: Vol. CXXIII
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
The Edinburgh Review, or Critical Journal, for January, 1866 to April, 1866: Vol. CXXIII
Smith, Sydney
Hardcover
Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy, Delivered at the Royal Institution, in the Years 1804, 1805
Smith, Sydney
Hardcover
The Footpath Way: An Anthology for Walkers (Cram Edition)
Belloc, Hilaire
Borrow, George
Smith, Sydney
Paperback
Also in
British History
Revolution: The History of England from the Battle of the Boyne to the Battle of Waterloo
Peter Ackroyd
Hardcover
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, 1485-1534
Everett, Michael
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History
Danner, Rk
Danner, Mark
Paperback
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Hardcover
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Paperback
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Paperback
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women
Mitchell, Claire
Venditozzi, Zoe
Paperback
Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat-And the American Revolution-Transformed Britain
Allen, Danielle
Hardcover
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Hardcover
Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735
Veerapen, Steven
Hardcover
Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown
Foster, Ann
Hardcover
With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Beatles and the People Who Made Them
Maconie, Stuart
Hardcover
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas
Newman, Brooke N.
Hardcover
The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare
Swift, Daniel
Hardcover
The Secrets of Eaton Square: Sex, Scandal, and Infamy on the Road to Buckingham Palace
Larman, Alexander
Hardcover
The Defector: The Untold Story of the KGB Agent Who Saved Mi5 and Changed the Cold War
Kerbaj, Richard
Hardcover
The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: Private Revelations from Britain's Most Famed Diarist
de la Bédoyère, Guy
Hardcover
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Johnson, Steven
Paperback
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Paperback
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Hardcover
Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry: The History and Lore of Gems, Charms, and Talismans
Azzarito, Amy
Hardcover
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
Things We Found in the Ground: Discovering the History Buried Beneath Our Feet
Gray, Lucie
Bruce, Ellie
Paperback
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Hardcover
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Paperback
The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
Anishanslin, Zara
Hardcover
Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
Buchanan, Patrick J.
Paperback
A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins
Davidson, Hilary
Hardcover
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
The Quest for El Dorado: Sir Walter Ralegh and the Search for the City of Gold
Gibbins, David
Hardcover
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Millard, Candice
Paperback
Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War: The Life of George Downing
Sewell, Dennis
Hardcover
Scottish History and Mythology: An Enthralling Journey Through Scotland's Past and Legendary Myths
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America's Early Independence
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson
Burnard, Trevor
Hardcover
The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew J.
Paperback
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Paperback
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Hardcover
The Intellectual Origins of American Slavery: English Ideas in the Early Modern Atlantic World
Harpham, John Samuel
Hardcover
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
Sides, Hampton
Hardcover
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
Flanders, Judith
Paperback
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line
Cormac, Rory
Hardcover
Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat - A New Scientist Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Shute, Joe
Paperback
Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century
McDonagh, Melanie
Hardcover
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Paperback
Scotland's Forgotten Past: A History of the Mislaid, Misplaced and Misunderstood
Moffat, Alistair
Paperback
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley
Gordon, Charlotte
Paperback
The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining: How to Cook, Host, and Toast Like a Member of the Ton: A Cookbook
Timberlake, Emily
Hardcover
Our Island Story: A History of the Kings, Queens and Battles of England, Scotland and Britain for Boys and Girls
Marshall, H. E.
Paperback
Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War
Ferling, John E.
Hardcover
The Story of Tudor Art: A History of Tudor England Through Its Art and Objects
Faraday, Christina J.
Hardcover
Forgotten Churches: Exploring England's Hidden Treasures: The Sunday Times Bestseller
Sherlock, Luke
Hardcover
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Paperback
Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History
Tatarnic, Martha
Hardcover
They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France
Glass, Charles
Paperback
The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook: Teatime Drinks, Scones, Savories & Sweets
Downton Abbey
Hardcover
A Spy Amongst Us: Daniel Defoe's Secret Service and the Plot to End Scottish Independence
Mierowsky, Marc
Hardcover
The Big Hop: The First Non-Stop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean and Into the Future
Rooney, David
Paperback
A Vintage Victorian Christmas Sticker, Color & Activity Book: Over 200 Unique Stickers
Editors of Chartwell Books
Paperback
Fourteenth Colony: The Forgotten Story of the Gulf South During America's Revolutionary Era
Bunn, Mike
Hardcover
Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution
Paul, Joel Richard
Paperback
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
Borlase, Craig
Hindmarsh, Bruce
Paperback
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
Worsley, Lucy
Paperback
The Stuff of History: A Curated Compendium of Curious Objects and Forgotten People
Moore, Steven
Hardcover