The tradition of literature in can be traced back to Wace, a 12th century Jersey-born poet, although there is little surviving literature in dating to before the introduction of the first printing press in Jersey in the 1780s. The first printed appeared in the first newspapers at the end of the 18th century, and the earliest identified dated example of printed poetry is a fragment by (Matthew Le Geyt 1777 – 1849), dated to 1795. A boom in competing newspapers and journals throughout the 19th century provided a platform for poets and writers to publish regularly – typically, satirical comment on the week's news, elections, Jersey politicians and notables. The first printed anthology of poetry, , was published in 1865.