The History and Adventures of an Atom

The novel is an it-narrative, narrated by an atom in the body of a London haberdasher, who is the purported editor of the novel.

The atom describes events it witnessed in ancient Japan, which are in fact allegories for British politics at the time of the novel's composition.

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham appears as Taycho, and other politicians, monarchs and nations under a light disguise of made-up names.

It includes some comments on the Kingdom of Great Britain's growing problems with its American colonies.

[3][4] The first scholarly edition of the book was published in 1988, edited by Robert Adams Day and O. M. Brack Jr.[1] Writing in 1821, Sir Walter Scott wrote, "The chief purpose of the work (besides that of giving the author the opportunity to raise his hand, like that of Ishmael, against every man) is to inspire a national horror of continental connexions.