Isaac Bickerstaff

Isaac Bickerstaff is a pseudonym used in early 18th-century English satire. Jonathan Swift adopted the name for a series of pamphlets in 1708–1709 aimed at the astrologer John Partridge, including predictions and follow-up pieces that mocked Partridge and contemporary astrological credulity. The “Bickerstaff” persona presented itself as a sober, corrective voice, using deadpan authority to expose what Swift treated as fraud and public gullibility. The pseudonym was also used by Richard Steele, who employed “Isaac Bickerstaff” as a signature in periodical writing. As a shared satirical mask, Bickerstaff became a recognizable name in the literary culture of the time.