"[A]n illustration is no argument,--nor do I maintain the wiping of a looking-glass clean, to be a syllogism;--but you all, may it please your worships, see the better for it,--so that the main good these things do, is only to clarify the understanding, previous to the application of the argument itself, in order to free it from any little motes, or specks of opacular matter, which if left swiming therein, might hinder a conception and spoil all."
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
At least 82 entries in ESTC (1759, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1763, 1765, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1783, 1786, 1788, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1798, 1799, 1800). Complicated publication history: vols. 1 and 2 published in London January 1, 1760. Vols. 3, 4, 5, and 6 published in 1761. Vols. 7 and 8 published in 1765. Vol. 9 published in 1767.<br>
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See Laurence Sterne, <u>The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman</u>, 9 vols. (London: Printed for D. Lynch, 1760-1767). &lt;<a href="http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&contentSet=ECCOArticles&type=multipage&tabID=T001&prodId=ECCO&docId=CW114738374&source=gale&userGroupName=viva_uva&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE">Link to ECCO</a>&gt;&lt;<a href="http://find.galegroup.com/ecco/infomark.do?&contentSet=ECCOArticles&type=multipage&tabID=T001&prodId=ECCO&docId=CW114607600&source=gale&userGroupName=viva_uva&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE">Link to 1759 York edition in ECCO</a>&gt;<br>
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First two volumes available in ECCO-TCP: &lt;<a href="http://name.umdl.umich.edu/004792564.0001.001">Vol. 1</a>&gt;&lt;<a href="http://name.umdl.umich.edu/004792564.0001.002">Vol. 2</a>&gt;. Most text from second London edition &lt;<a href="http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&xri:pqil:res_ver=0.2&res_id=xri:lion&rft_id=xri:lion:ft:pr:Z000046871:0">Link to LION</a>&gt;.<br>
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For vols. 3-4, see ESTC T14705 &lt;<a href="http://estc.bl.uk/T14705">R. and J. Dodsley, 1761</a>&gt;. For vols. 5-6, see ESTC T14706 &lt;<a href="http://estc.bl.uk/T14706">T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1762</a>&gt;. For vols. 7-8, see ESTC T14820 &lt;<a href="http://estc.bl.uk/T14820">T. Becket and P. A. Dehont, 1765</a>&gt;. For vol. 9, <a href="http://estc.bl.uk/T14824">T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, 1767</a>.<br>
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Reading in Laurence Sterne, <u>Tristram Shandy: An Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Sources, Criticism</u>, Ed. Howard Anderson (New York: Norton, 1980).