The Loiterer: A Periodical Work in Two Volumes Published at Oxford in the Years 1789 and 1790 by the Austen Family

The Oxford-based weekly periodical, The Loiterer, which appeared from January 31, 1789 to March 20, 1790, was the creation of both James Austen and his younger brother, Henry. Although the work of both men would be obscured by the achievements of their sister, Jane, their own writing deserves attention. The Loiterer represents an important stage in the history and development of the periodical essay as an English literary mode or genre.