Alexander Pope's 35-Page Takedown of Historian Thomas Hearne

CGP Grey · Explainer · YouTube title: Alexander Pope Wrote a 35-Page Takedown of a Historian

Why it's here

HN commenters point to it as a masterpiece of humorous archival detective work and a great watch about books and libraries.

What it covers

CGP Grey tells the story of Alexander Pope's long takedown of a historian, Thomas Hearne, framed around the quirks of library books and archival research. It is a funny, digressive video essay about literary feuds and tracking down original sources.