1739 in literature

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This article presents lists of the literary events and publications in 1739.

Events

• January 16 - First performance of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Saul at the King's Theatre, Haymarket, London.
• February 9 - The Scots Magazine is first issued.
• February - George Whitefield first preaches in the open air, to miners at Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, England.
• April - John Wesley first preaches in the open air, at Whitefield's invitation.
• Henry Brooke's drama Gustavus Vasa is the first play banned under the Licensing Act of 1737.
• The first Bible in Estonian, Piibli Ramat, translated by Anton thor Helle, is published.

New books

• Penelope Aubin - A Collection of Entertaining Histories and Novels
• Henry Baker and James Miller (transl.) - The Works of Molière, French and English
• Elizabeth Carter
  • Examination of Mr. Pope's Essay on Man (translation of De Crousaz's Examen de l'essai de Monsieur Pope sur l'homme)
  • Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy Explain'd for the Use of Ladies (translation of Algarotti's Newtonianismo per le donne)
• Philip Doddridge - The Family Expositor
• Henry Fielding as "Captain Hercules Vinegar" - The Champion (periodical)
• Richard Glover - London
• David Hume (anonymously) - A Treatise of Human Nature (issued late 1738 but dated this year)
• William Law - The Grounds and Reasons of Christian Regeneration
• John Mottley as "Elijah Jenkins" - Joe Miller's Jests; or, the Wits Vade-Mecum
• Robert Nugent (attrib.) - An Epistle to Sir Robert Walpole
• John Oldmixon - The History of England During the Reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth
• Laetitia Pilkington - The Statues
• Samuel Richardson - Aesop's Fables
• Elizabeth Rowe - Miscellaneous Works
• Thomas Sheridan - The Satires of Juvenal Translated
• Joseph Trapp - The Nature, Folly, Sin, and Danger, of Being Righteous Over-much (against George Whitefield)
• Voltaire
  • De la gloire, ou entretien avec un Chinois
  • Conseils a M. Helvetius
• Isaac Watts - The World to Come
• John Wesley - Hymns and Sacred Poems
• George Whitefield - A Continuation of the Reverend Mr. Whitefield's Journal
• Paul Whitehead - Manners

Newly published drama

• Daniel Bellamy - Miscellanies in Prose and Verse
• Henry Carey - Nancy (opera)
• Thomas Cooke - The Mournful Nuptials (not acted)
• David Mallet - Mustapha
• James Miller - An Hospital for Fools
• Edward Phillips - Britons, Strike Home
• William Shirley - The Parricide
• James Thomson - Edward and Eleonara

Poetry

• Moses Browne - Poems
• Mary Collier - The Woman's Labour: an epistle to Mr Stephen Duck
• Mikhail Lomonosov - Ode on the Taking of Khotin from the Turks
• Robert Nugent
  • An Ode on Mr. Pulteney
  • An Ode, to His Royal Highness on His Birthday
  • Odes and Epistles
• Jonathan Swift - Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift

Births

• January – Twm o'r Nant, Welsh playwright and poet (died 1810)
• August 31 – Johann Augustus Eberhard, German theologian and philosopher (died 1809)
• November 20 – Jean-François de la Harpe, French critic (died 1803)
• Unknown date – Hugh Kelly, Irish-born dramatist and poet (died 1777)

Deaths

• June 20 – Edmond Martène, French historian (born 1654)
• July 25 – Johann Christoph Wolf, German Hebrew scholar and bibliographer (born 1683)
• September 4 – George Lillo, English dramatist and actor (born 1691)
• October 18 – António José da Silva, Brazilian dramatist (born 1705)