Welcome to The Lichfield Rambler.
Think of this newsletter as a kind of 18th-century club for the digital age. It zings into your inbox mostly on Sundays and provides articles on the arts (painting, music, literature, architecture) - with a historical slant. I also write book reviews and essays about the publishing journey for people who write non-fiction.
My newsletter pays homage to the great Samuel Johnson (pictured second from left in the above image), who wrote a series of papers called The Rambler, which were published on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1750 to 1752. They covered all manner of topics ranging from morality and literature to society and politics. I write mostly about the 18th century, but I do share Johnson’s fascination with Shakespeare.
Anyway, I hope you’ll join me with a glass of port in a drawing room or pub of your own imagination. For full access to the newsletter and publication archives, please subscribe - it’s completely free!
About the Author
My name is Annette Rubery. I graduated from the University of Warwick with a PhD in a combination of literature and art history. For a decade I worked as an arts journalist (mainly on Metro), and then in a variety of communications roles for UK universities.
I’ve recently completed The Female Rake: Peg Woffington’s Scandalous Life on the Georgian Stage: a biography of an actress who was known for her cross-dressed portrayals of fashionable men. I’ve presented talks about Peg to academics (at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and St Hugh’s College, Oxford among other places) and to enthusiasts at various societies and clubs.
I’m a Trustee of The Johnson Society (Lichfield) and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I’m currently working on a book about the playwright-architect Sir John Vanbrugh. When I’m not writing, I’m usually serving my feline overlord or at the opera with my husband.
