The first wit of the age

On the occasion of Hermann J. Reals seventy-fifth birthday, this collection honours a scholar whose contagious curiosity has been dedicated to the study of Jonathan Swifts life and works for the past four decades. The contributions cover multiple aspects of the Deans writings as well as a number of eighteenth-century contexts. They not only celebrate the Director of the Ehrenpreis Centre at the Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt, Mnster, the Editor of the annual Swift Studies, and the convener of six international Mnster symposia on the Dean of St Patricks, but they also pay homage to the mentor, colleague, and friend. At the same time, they reflect the enduring vitality of Swift studies, which it has been one of Hermann J. Reals greatest academic achievements to promote.