MISCELLANEOUS AND FUGITIVE PIECES. The second edition, corrected.

[JOHNSON, Samuel.]

Published by London printed for T. Davies in Russel-Street Covent-Garden; and Carnan and Newbery St. Paul's Church-yard, 1774

About this Item

Three volumes, 8vo, pp. [iv], 375; [iv], 360; viii, 311; a fine copy in contemporary calf, spines very attractively gilt, with red and green morocco labels. Second edition of volumes I-II, and first edition of the third volume. This is a famous publication in which many of Johnson's reviews, biographies and other contributions to periodicals were collected for the first time. All the pieces in the first volume and all but seven in the second are by Johnson: Davies indeed advertised the work as 'by the Author of the Rambler', a description to which Johnson took exception. The collection was originally compiled and printed while Johnson was in Scotland on his tour of the Western Isles, but it has nonetheless some claim to being the first collected edition of Johnson: besides some of his most notable prose, the collection also includes his two great poems, London and The Vanity of Human Wishes. Volume III has nothing by Johnson, but does have pieces by Goldsmith, Savage, Bonnell Thornton, Mason and others. Fleeman 73.12DM/2b and 73.12DM/3 (pp. 1195 and 1196-7). This is the second state of the titles to volumes I-II, after the title pages to those volumes were altered to include to include Carnan & Newbery in the imprint.

Seller Inventory # 27966

Bibliographic Details

• Title: MISCELLANEOUS AND FUGITIVE PIECES. The second edition, corrected.
• Publisher: London printed for T. Davies in Russel-Street Covent-Garden; and Carnan and Newbery St. Paul's Church-yard
• Publication Date: 1774
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • Poetry