Lord Kames was a Scottish judge who wrote several books that came to influence aspects of enlightenment thought in Scotland and in England in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Like his friends Hugh Blair and David Hume, he was an important part of the Edinburgh learned societies and used his connections to write several works to espouse his beliefs. This work, the first edition of his Elements of Criticism, was published in 1762 and bears a dedication to George III. The volumes looked at several different aspects that could affect criticism and taste, and advocated following human nature when judging an object. Elements of Criticism was a popular work and influenced the culture of sentimentality, a belief that displaying emotion in everyday life was a demonstration of virtue, which thrived among 'polite' society in the 1760s and 1770s.