Overview
Alexander Smith (1829-1867) was a well-known working-class Scottish poet, and was one of the founding members and Secretary of this society. (For more information on Smith, see, for example, ‘Alexander Smith (1829 – 1867)‘ on the Scottish Poetry Library website.) Named after Joseph Addison (1672-1719), co-founder of the influential magazine, The Spectator, this mutual improvement group consisted of approximately a dozen young men who met on Saturday evenings in a coffee house in Candleriggs (in Merchant City, in the heart of the city centre).
Date of Existence
22 May 1847-1852
Source of Information
1. Glasgow Addisonian Literary Society, Minute Book (Note: currently unknown if this is still housed at Dick Institute, Kilmarnock (20/09/17));
2. Brisbane, T., The Early Years of Alexander Smith, Poet and Essayist. A Study for Young Men, Chiefly Reminiscences of Ten Years’ Companionship (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1869) (ML, Mitchell (GC) 821.8 SMI 9/BRI 31794);
3. Kilpatrick, James A., Literary Landmarks of Glasgow (Glasgow: Saint Mungo Press, 1893), p. 248 (MLSC, Mitchell (AL) KIL);
4. Berry, Simon, Applauding Thunder: Life, Work and Critics of Alexander Smith (Inverness: FTTR Press, 2013), [passim] (MLSC, Mitchell (AL) 821.8 SMI 9/BER);
5. ‘Alexander Smith (poet)’, Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Smith_(poet)> [accessed 20/08/17];
6. (Note: several newspaper clippings throughout Young’s Scrapbooks (various volumes, e.g. Vol. 12, pp. 4-5; Vol. 14, p. 13-15) on Smith (MLSC)
Repository
Mitchell Library (ML)
Mitchell Library Special Collections (MLSC)
Dick Institute, Kilmarnock
Reference Number
(See Source of Information)
Additional Notes
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