The Spy (periodical)

The Spy was a periodical directed at the Edinburgh market, edited by James Hogg, with himself as principal contributor, which appeared from 1 September 1810 to 24 August 1811. It combined features of two types of periodical established in the 18th century, the essay periodical and the miscellany. As an outsider, Hogg used his periodical to give a critical view of the dominant upper-class culture of Edinburgh, with Walter Scott and Francis Jeffrey as its leading lights, and to launch his career as a writer of fiction as well as poetry.

Background

Hogg established The Spy during the year when he exchanged farming life in the south of Scotland for a literary career in Edinburgh. It combined features of essay periodicals such as The Spectator and The Rambler and miscellanies such as The Scots Magazine. Each issue had normally eight pages, usually containing an essay and one or more original poems. Hogg wrote over half the material himself, with James Gray, Classics master at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and his wife Mary Gray as his principal contributors. In six numbers (19, 35, 36, 39, 48, and 52) Hogg makes use, without acknowledgment, of passages by Samuel Johnson from The Rambler and The Idler.

Editions

The first 13 numbers were printed, rather crudely, by James Robertson, who usually produced popular booklets and chapbooks. The remainder were more expertly printed by Andrew and James Aikman.