In the eighteenth century, the pamphlet was ubiquitous in western Europe and in the British colonies of North America. As brief, topical publications, pamphlets ranged in length from a few pages to well over one hundred; their print runs were as low as a few hundred copies or as high as several thousand. Once printed and published, they were sold at modest prices or distributed free (gratis). This favored form of publication offered authors a means of expressing themselves openly, anonymously, and relatively inexpensively. In countries with severe publication restrictions, individuals were able to produce illegal brochures and usually avoided detection or arrest because neither the authors nor the printers were readily identifiable. Even in locales like England, with no overt government censorship, the anonymous pamphlet allowed its author to speak boldly, with little fear of running afoul of the libel laws.

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