The life of Samuel Johnson. LL.D. comprehending an account of his studies and numerous works in chronological order; a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition never before published. The whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain.

Boswell, James

Published by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly, London, 1791

About this Item

First edition, the so-called second state with "give" reading on p. 135 in vol. I, 2 volumes, 4to, pp. xii, [16], 516; [2], 588; engraved portrait frontispiece by Heath after Joshua Reynolds, and with the Round Robin plate, and the plate showing facsimile signatures of Johnson; nice copy in contemporary full calf neatly and pleasingly rebacked sometime in the 20th century, preserving the old red and black morocco labels on spine; all the standard cancels are present, per Pottle. Regarding the "give" (versus "gve") reading, Pottle notes that the "booksellers have given this rather uninteresting 'point' more attention than it deserves." Celebrated for its intimacy and vividness, Boswell's Life of Johnson "is one of the best books in the world. It is assuredly a great, very great work. Homer is not more decidedly the first of the heroic poets, Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of the dramatists, Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of the orators, than Boswell is the first of biographers" (Macaulay). Grolier, English 100, no. 65; Rothschild 463; Pottle 79.

Seller Inventory # 53375

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The life of Samuel Johnson. LL.D. comprehending an account of his studies and numerous works in chronological order; a series of his epistolary correspondence and conversations with many eminent persons; and various original pieces of his composition never before published. The whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain.
• Publisher: Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly, London
• Publication Date: 1791
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature
  • Language
  • English Literature