Joseph Johnson's modern dining club

Books, friendship and revolution

In late 18th century London there was a little-known, but influential, dining club for writers, artists, political thinkers and scientists hosted by publisher and patron of the arts, Joseph Johnson. He is the subject of biographer Daisy Hay’s new book, Dinner with Joseph Johnson: Books and Friendship in a Revolutionary Age. His weekly dinners from 1780-1809 were hugely enjoyable and intellectually stimulating gatherings, and included a wide range of guests, including the writer Mary Wollstonecraft. The financial assistance that Johnson gave to Wollstonecraft (employing her and giving her lodgings) enabled her to pursue her writing career, and she and other ‘Bluestocking’ women writers were always treated as equals among Johnson’s dinner guests.