First published from 1794 to 1797, Pursuits of Literature is a satirical poem attacking contemporary literary figures. The book was incredibly popular, lauded by contemporary writers, and went through sixteen editions by 1812. However, it is little known today, perhaps due to the extensive footnotes and quotations printed in the original Greek, Latin, French, Italian and German that had to be read in order to understand the satirical nature of the poem. The author, Thomas James Mathias served as treasurer to Queen Charlotte and for many years was reluctant to admit that he had written Pursuits of Literature despite the praise the work received and the imitators it inspired. By 1799, it was widely known that Mathias was the author but he continued to deny it until he had left Britain and moved to Italy in 1817.