Why did several reprints of Gulliver’s Travels appear soon after 1726?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Illustration of Lemuel Gulliver lying on the ground, tied down by tiny Lilliputians, with crowds and small buildings in the background, from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. — Gulliver’s Travels Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput, illustration from an edition of Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels*.

Gulliver’s Travels (1726) proved to be an immediate success upon its publication, which drove the demand for multiple reprints within just a few months of its release. These early reprints often featured minor textual variations. The work's immense popularity, which has remained consistent since its debut, ensured that it became a cornerstone of English literature and a defining example of the novel as a literary form.12