A Tale of a Tub
The first, second, and third editions of the "Tale" appeared in 1704; the fifth edition came out in 1710. In "The Apology for the &c.", Swift indicates that he originally gave his publisher a preliminary copy of the work, while he kept a blotted copy at his own hand and lent other copies including one to Thomas Swift, Jonathan's "parson cousin". As a consequence, the first edition appeared with many errors. The second edition was a resetting of the type. The third edition was a reprint of the second, with corrections, and the fourth edition contained corrections of the third.
A Tale of a Tub
Although today very little of this debate remains, questions of the authorship of the "Tale" occupied many notable critics both in the 18th and 19th centuries. Famously, Samuel Johnson claimed that "A Tale of a Tub" was a work of true genius (in contrast to "Gulliver's Travels" where once one imagines "big people and little people" the rest is easy) and too good to be Jonathan Swift's. In the 19th century, many critics who saw misanthropy and madness in Jonathan Swift's later work wished to reject the "Tale" as his. In a way, a critic's view on who wrote the "Tale" reflected that critic's politics. Swift was such a powerful champion of Tory, or anti-Whig, causes that fans of the "Tale" were eager to attribute the book to another author from nearly the day of its publication.