1. Just How Dumb Was Timothy Dexter?
Dexter complained about politicians, men of the cloth, and his wife in his book. He self-published the first edition, but incredibly, the book did well. So eight more editions – and paid ones at that – followed. In response to complaints about the lack of punctuation, Dexter added a page to the second edition, with eleven lines of punctuation marks. He instructed readers to help themselves, and insert the punctuations wherever they thought they were needed. Or as he put it, that “thay may peper and solt it as they plese”. When he died in 1806, Dexter’s obituary judged “his intellectual endowments not being of the most exalted stamp”. Still, despite all the dumb moves, he lived the American dream, went from rags to riches, and died in a mansion a very wealthy man. So just how dumb was he, really?
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Dexter, Timothy – A Pickle for the Knowing Ones (1805)
History Collection – Remarkable Historic Blunders These People Should be Embarrassed About
