Abel Boyer was a French Huguenot, born in southern France and moved to England in 1689. He acted as French tutor to the young Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne, for whom he wrote The Complete French Master (published 1694). His later work, The Royal Dictionary (published in 1699), also ostensibly for the young Duke, was a French-English, English-French dictionary that far surpassed all previous works of the sort, and continued as the basis of subsequent dictionaries for many years.

In 1703 Boyer began writing an annual register on the reign of Queen Anne, recording political and miscellaneous events. Following on from this he also published The Political state of Great Britain in monthly issues (1711-29) which included abstracts of official and political pamphlets, and a parliamentary chronicle, summarising for the first time debates in Parliament.