The Making of Johnson's Dictionary, 1746-1773 (Cambridge Studies in Publishing and Printing History)

Allen Reddick

ISBN 10: 0521361605 / ISBN 13: 9780521361606

Published by Cambridge University Press October 1990, 1990

About this Item

First Edition. A square, tight and unmarked copy. Review copy with publisher's letter laid in. Dust jacket now protected in removable mylar. Seller Inventory # 80598

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Making of Johnson's Dictionary, 1746-...

Publisher: Cambridge University Press October 1990

Publication Date: 1990

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Used - fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

Edition: First.

About this title

Synopsis:

As the first great English dictionary, and the only dictionary created by a great writer, Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is recognised as a landmark in English language and letters. The heroic effort of the work's creation over nine years has long been enshrined in English literary mythology. However, details pertaining to Johnson's long years of work on his Dictionary are very scarce. With the recent discovery and deciphering of manuscript materials, including hundreds of unpublished revisions, Reddick describes the conception, composition, writing and subsequent revision of the Dictionary. Reddick argues that the Dictionary does not reflect Johnson's final thoughts on a fixed language, but rather constitutes a text in flux, changed repeatedly throughout Johnson's lifetime. He also contributes more generally to the biographical information about Johnson during these 'middle' years, and analyses the political and theological aspects of the work, attempting to determine how we 'read' Johnson's Dictionary.

Book Description:

This second edition of an acclaimed study incorporates new commentary and scholarship, and situates The Making of Johnson's Dictionary in current critical and scholarly debate. It describes the conception, composition, writing, and subsequent revision of the first great English dictionary.