author
Julian Sharman
1851–1901
Best known for A Cursory History of Swearing, this late-Victorian writer had a gift for turning unusual literary subjects into lively, curious reading. His work also ranged into early editing and scholarship on Mary, Queen of Scots, and John Heywood.
1 Audiobook
A cursory history of swearing
by Julian Sharman
About the author
Julian Sharman was an English writer and editor active in the late 19th century. The dates given for him are 1851–1901, and surviving library records show that he published across several decades, building a reputation for learned but readable books on unusual historical and literary topics.
His best-known book today is A Cursory History of Swearing (1884), a lively study of oaths, curses, and language. Catalog and library records also credit him with editing The Poems of Mary, Queen of Scots (1873), The Proverbs of John Heywood (1874), and writing The Library of Mary Queen of Scots (1889), which shows the range of his interests from language and folklore to bibliography and literary history.
Not much biographical detail is easy to confirm from widely available sources, but his books suggest a writer drawn to overlooked corners of culture and history. That mix of scholarship and curiosity is a big part of why his work still finds readers today.