Hazlitt published his first book , a work of philosophy , in 1805 . In the years between his authorial debut and the publication of '' Table-Talk '' , Hazlitt was employed as a journalist , critic and lecturer , and published several collections of writing on topics such as Shakespearean criticism , politics and literature . In 1819 , following the hostile reception of his '' Political Essays '' by the Tory press and the repressive legislation introduced after the Peterloo Massacre , Hazlitt foreswore writing further essays on political subjects . Political insight is by no means absent from Hazlitt 's subsequent works , and publications such as '' The Spirit of the Age '' ( 1825 ) condemn figures such as Robert Southey for their abandonment of political radicalism , while Hazlitt 's biography of Napoleon ( four volumes ; 1828 – 1830 ) aimed to defend his reputation against a biography from the Tory Sir Walter Scott
Peterloo Massacre
Peterloo Massacre
Table-Talk