“The English, the plain English, of the politest address of a gentleman to a lady is, I am now, dear Madam, your humble servant: Pray be so good as to let me be your Lord and Master.”

English writer and printer

Samuel Richardson was an English writer and printer of the 18th century. He is known for three epistolary novels, Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded, Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady, and The History of Sir Charles Grandison. Beyond his fiction, Richardson printed nearly 500 works, including journals and magazines, and at times worked with the London bookseller Andrew Millar. His reputation rests mainly on the way his novels use letters to build moral tension, social observation, and emotional detail.