Contents

   PREFACE  xi
   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  xii
   NOTE ON THE TEXT  xiii
   INTRODUCTION  1
Johnson’s Poems   
1   JOHNSON seeking a publisher for London, 1738  42
2   WILLIAM MUDFORD on London and The Vanity of Human Wishes, 1802  44
3   JOHN AIKIN on Johnson’s poems, 1804  49
Irene (1749)   
4   A Criticism on Mahomet and Irene, 1749  52
5   JOHN HIPPISLEY (?), An Essay on Tragedy, 1749  57
The Rambler (1750–2)   
6   Two early tributes, 1750  63
7   JOHNSON surveys his purpose and achievement, Rambler, 1752  64
8   ARTHUR MURPHY, Essay on the Life and Genius of Johnson, 1792  68
9   GEORGE GLEIG in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1797  72
10   MUDFORD on the ‘moral utility’ of the Rambler, 1802  74
11   ALEXANDER CHALMERS in British Essayists, 1802  81
12   HAZLITT on the Rambler, 1819  86
The Dictionary (1755)   
13   JOHNSON’S Plan of a Dictionary, 1747  90
14   Foreign notice of the Plan, 1747  94
15   CHESTERFIELD in the World, 1754  95
16   JOHNSON writes to Thomas Warton, 1755  102
17   JOHNSON’S letter to Chesterfield, 1755  103
18   JOHNSON’S Preface, 1755  105
19   ADAM SMITH, unsigned review, Edinburgh Review, 1755  115
20   HORNE TOOKE’S Diversions of Purley, 1786  117
21   A German view of the Dictionary, 1798  118
22   An American view of the Dictionary, 1807  125
Rasselas (1759)   
23   OWEN RUFFHEAD, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1759  141
24   Unsigned notice, Annual Register, 1759  147
25   MUDFORD on Rasselas, 1802  148
26   MRS BARBAULD, The British Novelists, 1810  149
Edition of The Plays of William Shakespeare (1765)   
27   JOHNSON’S Proposals for his edition of Shakespeare, 1756  155
28   From Johnson’s Preface to the first edition, 1765  157
29   GEORGE COLMAN, unsigned notice, St. James’s Chronicle, 1765  162
30   WILLIAM KENRICK, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1765  164
31   WILLIAM KENRICK, Review of Johnson’s Shakespeare, 1765  181
32   JAMES BARCLAY, Examination of Mr. Kenrick’s Review, 1766  189
33   VOLTAIRE, ‘Art Dramatique’, in Questions sur l’Encylopédie, 1770  194
34   SCHLEGEL, Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature, 1808  195
35   COLERIDGE on Johnson’s Shakespeare, 1811–16  197
36   HAZLITT, Characters of Shakespear’s Plays, 1817  199
Political Pamphlets (1770–5)   
37   Unsigned review of The False Alarm, Critical Review, 1770  204
38   Unsigned review of The False Alarm, Monthly Review, 1770  207
39   PERCIVAL STOCKDALE, The Remonstrance, 1770  209
40   JOHN WILKES, A Letter to Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1770  211
41   JOSEPH TOWERS, A Letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1775  216
42   Anonymous, Tyranny Unmasked, 1775  225
Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775)   
43   ROBERT FERGUSSON, ‘To Dr. Samuel Johnson’, 1773  231
44   RALPH GRIFFITHS, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1775  234
45   Anonymous, Remarks on a Voyage to the Hebrides, 1775  237
46   JAMES MCINTYRE, ‘On Samuel Johnson, who wrote against Scotland’, 1775  240
47   DONALD MCNICOL, Remarks on Dr. Samuel Johnsons Journey to the Hebrides, 1779  242
Lives of the English Poets (1779–81)   
48   EDWARD DILLY to James Boswell, 1777  250
49   Advertisement to the Lives, 1779  252
50   EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1779–82  253
51   Unsigned review, Critical Review, 1779–81  270
52   WILLIAM COWPER’S opinions of the Lives, 1779–91  273
53   FRANCIS BLACKBURNE, Remarks on Johnson’s Life of Milton, 1780  278
54   WALPOLE on the Life of Pope, 1781  284
55   WILLIAM FITZTHOMAS, Dr. Johnson’s Strictures on the Lyric Performances of Gray, 1781  285
56   Unsigned review, Annual Register, 1782  293
57   ROBERT POTTER, Inquiry, 1783  295
58   SIR JOHN HAWKINS, Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1787  303
59   ROBERT POTTER, The Art of Criticism, 1789  306
60   ANNA SEWARD’S opinions of the Lives, 1789–97  311
61   DEQUINCEY, ‘Postscript respecting Johnson’s Life of Milton’, 1859  313
Johnson’s Prose Style   
62   ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, Lexiphanes, 1767  317
63   JOHNSON defends his style, 1777  323
64   WALPOLE, ‘General Criticism of Dr. Johnson’s Writings’, c. 1779  324
65   ROBERT BURROWES, on ‘the Stile of Doctor Samuel Johnson’, 1786  326
66   ANNA SEWARD on Johnson’s prose style, 1795  343
67   NATHAN DRAKE on the influence of Johnson’s style, 1809  344
68   SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH, private journal, 1811  349
69   COLERIDGE’S opinions on Johnson’s style, 1818–33  355
Biographical and General   
70   CHARLES CHURCHILL, ‘Pomposo’ in The Ghost, 1762  357
71   JOHN WILKES, North Briton, 1762  360
72   BLAKE, ‘An Island in the Moon’, c. 1784  363
73   JOHN COURTENAY, A Poetical Review, 1786  364
74   JOSEPH TOWERS, An Essay, 1786  371
75   BOSWELL, The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1791  383
76   ANNA SEWARD’S general estimate of Johnson, 1796  412
77   GEORGE MASON, Epitaph on Johnson, 1796  415
78   RICHARD CUMBERLAND, Memoirs, 1807  416
79   SCOTT, Lives of the Novelists, 1821–4  420
80   MACAULAY, review of Croker’s edition of Boswell’s Life, Edinburgh Review, 1831  423
81   CARLYLE, review of Croker’s edition of Boswell’s Life, Fraser’s Magazine, 1832  432
   BIBLIOGRAPHY  449
   SELECT INDEX  451