John Joseph Stockdale was an English publisher and editor with something of a reputation as a pornographer. He sought to blackmail a number of public figures over the memoirs of society courtesan Harriette Wilson, drawing the notorious retort from the Duke of Wellington, Publish and be damned! He also famously sued the parliamentary reporter Hansard over an allegation that he had published an indecent book and became involved in an important constitutional clash between parliament and the courts that ultimately brought about a change in the law.
John Joseph Stockdale
"Arms of the Greeks" 1817. Print made by: George Cruikshank Published by: John Joseph Stockdale
Bill by J. J. Stockdale advertising a portrait of Wilson and works by Roberton
Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire
Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire was a poetry collection written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and his sister Elizabeth which was printed by Charles and William Phillips in Worthing and published by John Joseph Stockdale in September 1810. The work was Shelley's first published volume of poetry. Shelley wrote the poems in collaboration with his sister Elizabeth. The poems were written before Shelley entered the University of Oxford.
1810 first edition title page, J. J. Stockdale, London.
1898 reprint title page, John Lane, London and New York