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