1786 in literature

See also: 1785 in literature, other events of 1786, 1787 in literature, list of years in literature.

Events

• The Story of the Learned Pig (anonymous) is one of the first books to cast doubt on the authorship of William Shakespeare's plays.

New books

• Dorado, a Spanish Tale – James Boswell (published anonymously)
• Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect – Robert Burns
• The Heiress (play) – John Burgoyne
• The Jolly Beggars – Robert Burns
• The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, translated from the German by G.A. Bürger
• Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson by Hester Thrale

Births

• February 3 – Wilhelm Gesenius
• February 24 – Wilhelm Grimm
• August 25 – James Silk Buckingham

Deaths

• November 25 – Richard Glover
• December 26 – Gasparo Gozzi