Caption: "Johnson, Dictionary, 'The first dictionary that could be read with pleasure' - Macaulay, printed by W. Strahan, London, 1755. In the year 1748, Dodsley, the best known publisher of London, and six other booksellers paid Samuel Johnson the sum of £1575 to compile a Dictionary of the English Language. This sum emboldened Johnson to move from his squalid quarters in the Strand to a pretentious house on Gough Square, in London, where he and five or six amanuenses labored for seven years, instead of three as first planned. Johnson's method was to read incessantly the best authors and to underscore the illustrative quotations he wished used and then to give them to his assistants to insert in their proper places. The general excellence of the definitions, the judicious selection of quotations, the etymologies, though often faulty, make the Dictionary useful and entertaining reading today. 'Pension, an allowance made to anyone without an equivalence. In England it is generally understood to mean pay given to a state hireling for treason to his country.’ ‘Lexicographer’ Johnson defined as ‘a harmless drudge,’ and ‘oats’ as ‘a grain which in England is generally give to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.’ Johnson in the preface reveals much of himself. ‘… In his work, when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be forgotten that much likewise is performed; … that the English Dictionary was written with little assistance of the learned, and without any patronage of the great, not in the soft obscurities of retirement, or under the shelter of academic bowers, but in midst of inconvenience and distraction, in sickness and in sorrow…’ The work was printed by W. Strahan and seen through the press by Andrew Millar, one of the underwriting publishers. The underwriters received excellent returns on their original investment as edition after edition issued from the presses.”
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
