The History of Rasselas Prince of Abyssinia (Crofts Classics)

The text is that of the first edition, corrected in a few places, slightly modernized in spelling and punctuation, and altered to include Johnson's revisions in the second edition (1759) of the work. The explanatory notes rely heavily on definitions in the first edition of Johnson's Dictionary. Edited by Gwin J. Kolb, who provides a fine introduction, this volume also contains a list of principal dates in Samuel Johnson's life and a bibliography.

Dr Saumuel Johnson was born on 18 September 1709. He was one of England's greatest literary figures: a poet, essayist, biographer, lexicographer and often considered the finest critic of English Literature. Best known for his Dictionary (1755), Johnson also wrote essays for The Rambler (1750-1752) and The Idler (1758-1760). He achieved a feat of English criticism in Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1781). He died on 13 December 1784.