author
Edward Moore
1712–1757
Best remembered for The Gamester, this English writer brought everyday moral struggles to the 18th-century stage. He also wrote poetry and essays, moving from an unsuccessful business career into a busy life in London letters.
2 Audiobooks
The Gamester (1753)
by Edward Moore
Moores Fables for the Female Sex
by Edward Moore
About the author
Born in Abingdon in 1712, Edward Moore was the son of a dissenting minister and later tried working as a linen-draper before turning fully to writing. That change led him into London's literary world, where he built a reputation as a dramatist, poet, and miscellaneous writer.
Moore is most closely associated with The Gamester (1753), a domestic tragedy that became his best-known work. He also wrote Fables for the Female Sex (1744), The Foundling (1748), Gil Blas (1751), and other pieces that show his interest in moral themes and ordinary human weakness rather than grand heroic subjects.
Alongside his creative work, he was involved in periodical writing and editorial work, reflecting the lively print culture of his time. He died in 1757, but his name has lasted largely because The Gamester remained an important example of sentimental and moral drama in 18th-century English literature.