Richard Head

Richard Head (c. 1637 – c. 1686) was a 17th-century English author, bookseller, and dramatist, best known as the creator of The English Rogue, one of the earliest examples of the English prose picaresque. His work stands as a bridge between the jest-book tradition and the later development of the English novel. Head’s writings—marked by coarse humor, social satire, and vivid depictions of roguish life—capture the spirit of Restoration London and its fascination with moral transgression and wit.

Early Life and Education

Little is known with certainty about Richard Head’s early life. He was born in Ireland around 1637, the son of a clergyman who was reportedly killed during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. Following his father’s death, Head’s mother took him to England, where he was educated, probably at Oxford, although there is no firm documentary evidence of his matriculation.

Career and Works

Richard Head began his career in London as a bookseller and author. His first known publication was Hic et Ubique, or, The Humors of Dublin (1659), a comedy that enjoyed some success on the Restoration stage. However, Head’s enduring fame rests primarily on The English Rogue, which he wrote and published in partnership with Francis Kirkman.

The English Rogue — Overview and Separation by Parts

The English Rogue is an episodic, often bawdy narrative following the adventures of its central character, Meriton Latroon, through a succession of comic and rogue-like episodes. The work was extremely popular in the later 17th century and exists in multiple parts. Below the work is presented separated by part for clarity.

Part I

Part I (first published in 1665) introduces Meriton Latroon and establishes the novel’s mixture of anecdote, low-life realism, and satirical observation. This first part is commonly cited as the origin of the title’s popularity and is the principal foundation of the work’s reputation as an early English picaresque.

Part II

Part II (published in 1668) continues the episodic adventures. Contemporary publishing practices and the involvement of booksellers mean that authorship and editorial control over this part are less clearly documented; historical accounts attribute significant input to Francis Kirkman.

Part III

Part III (published in 1671) followed soon after Part II. Like Part II, it is frequently associated with Kirkman’s commercial stewardship rather than being universally accepted as the sole product of Richard Head’s pen.

Part IV

The English Rogue, Part IV, (also published in 1671) is the installment most securely attributed to Richard Head himself. In this part Head returns more plainly as the authorial voice, and it is often singled out by scholars because it bears stylistic and thematic marks more directly connected to Head’s known writings.

Other Works

Head’s other publications include The Floating Island, or, A New Discovery Relating the Strange Adventure of Several Persons of Quality in a Floating Island (1673), an allegorical prose satire reflecting contemporary political anxieties and utopian imaginings. He also wrote The Red-Sea (1673) and The Western Wonder (1674), along with several pamphlets and ephemeral works typical of the Restoration print market.

Later Life and Death

Head’s later years appear to have been marked by financial difficulty. Some contemporary accounts suggest he returned to Ireland and may have drowned while crossing the Irish Sea around 1686, though the precise date and circumstances of his death remain uncertain.

Legacy

Richard Head occupies an important place in the evolution of English prose fiction. The English Rogue is often cited as a precursor to the 18th-century novel, influencing later writers through its episodic structure, narrative realism, and focus on a morally ambiguous protagonist. The blend of moral didacticism and ribald entertainment in the work exemplifies the transitional literary culture of the Restoration period. Though earlier criticism sometimes dismissed Head’s writing as coarse, modern scholarship values the work for its insight into class mobility, print culture, and the construction of English identity in the late 17th century.

Principal Works

• Hic et Ubique, or, The Humors of Dublin (1659)
• The English Rogue — Part I (1665), Part II (1668), Part III (1671), Part IV (1671)
• The Floating Island (1673)
• The Red-Sea (1673)
• The Western Wonder (1674)