A Dictionary of the English Language (Complete and Unabridged in Two Volumes), Volume One

by Samuel Johnson

Thackeray called Samuel Johnson, simply, “The Great Lexicographer”. What came to be known as “Johnson’s Dictionary” is both a masterpiece of world literature and a landmark in the history of the English language. This massive work set the standard for all future dictionaries of English, and no single writer other than Shakespeare has contributed more than Johnson to the development of the language. Jane Austen, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë all used what was known for over a century as “the dictionary”, while Samuel Taylor Coleridge said he viewed with suspicion any man “who should speak of it without respect and gratitude”. Robert Browning read it “in its entirety” to “qualify” himself as a poet, and Samuel Beckett scoured it for obscure words – among those he found, and used, were “increpation”, “inosculation”, and “to snite”. Since its first publication, it has been indispensable to anyone who cares about our language and its literature. Informative, irreverent and funny, it is a joy for everyday readers and a browser’s paradise, as well as being an indispensable resource for historians and linguists.By making this masterpiece available once more, the release of the Lexicos edition marks an event in ebook publishing. The only ebook edition of this great work, and the only unabridged edition currently in print in any format, it has been professionally edited (not OCR’d) and formatted for the Kindle. It is based on the 1773 edition, the final edition of the Dictionary expanded and revised by Johnson himself. It also incorporates those entries included in the original 1755 edition and cut out in 1773, along with Johnson’s original preface, and his “Plan of a Dictionary of the English Language,” written in 1747. Volume One covers letters A through K, Volume Two letters L through Z. Both volumes are fully searchable and have an active table of contents."The most important British cultural monument of the eighteenth century." - Henry Hitchings, Defining the The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary"More than anything else he wrote, it was the dictionary that made Johnson's reputation, and of all his accomplishments, it's the dictionary that most suggests the true nature of Johnson's genius." - Charles McGrath, New York Times"We would earnestly recommend it to all those who are desirous to improve and correct their language, frequently to consult the dictionary. Its merit must be determined by the frequent resort that is had to it. This is the most unerring test of its criticisms may be false, private judgments ill-founded; but if a work of this nature be much in use, it has received the sanction of the public approbation." - Adam Smith, Edinburgh Review

5061 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2010

About the author

People note British writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, known as "Doctor Johnson," for his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), for Lives of the Poets (1781), and for his series of essays, published under the titles The Rambler (1752) and The Idler (1758).

Samuel Johnson used the first consistent Universal Etymological English Dictionary , first published in 1721, of British lexicographer Nathan Bailey as a reference.

Beginning as a journalist on Grub street, this English author made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, and editor. People described Johnson as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history." James Boswell subjected him to Life of Samuel Johnson , one of the most celebrated biographies in English. This biography alongside other biographies, documented behavior and mannerisms of Johnson in such detail that they informed the posthumous diagnosis of Tourette syndrome (TS), a condition unknown to 18th-century physicians. He presented a tall and robust figure, but his odd gestures and tics confused some persons on their first encounters.

Johnson attended Pembroke college, Oxford for a year before his lack of funds compelled him to leave. After working as a teacher, he moved to London, where he began to write essays for The Gentleman's Magazine. His early works include the biography The Life of Richard Savage and the poem " The Vanity of Human Wishes ." Christian morality permeated works of Johnson, a devout and compassionate man. He, a conservative Anglican, nevertheless respected persons of other denominations that demonstrated a commitment to teachings of Christ.

After nine years of work, people in 1755 published his preeminent Dictionary of the English Language, bringing him popularity and success until the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1905, a century and a half later. In the following years, he published essays, an influential annotated edition of plays of William Shakespeare, and the well-read novel Rasselas . In 1763, he befriended James Boswell, with whom he later travelled to Scotland; A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland , travel narrative of Johnson, described the journey. Towards the end of his life, he produced the massive and influential Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets , which includes biographies and evaluations of 17th- and 18th-century poets.

After a series of illnesses, Johnson died on the evening; people buried his body in Westminster abbey. In the years following death, people began to recognize a lasting effect of Samuel Johnson on literary criticism even as the only great critic of English literature.

Reviews

[Mindo'ermatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a Searchable Unabridged Version!!

Samuel Johnson's definitive dictionary, written at the Apex of the European Enlightenment, represents the best source for meanings, usages, and definitions of the English language. This first volume of the unabridged edition presents over 5,000 pages of words and textual examples of high-quality authorative sources, giving contextual word applications.

This Kindle version permits full text searches to find both primary definitions but also how the searched word was used in other definitions. Primary word definitions are always shown in all caps to easily differentiate between the key definition and other usages.

Because this is a two-volume work, both volumes must be purchased separately to have access to the complete work of over 10,000 pages.

This is NOT a facsimile reproduction, but a fully digital edition, having known printing and edition errors resolved, making it extremely useful for today's use or for finding pithy and cogent meanings of words used in historical, literary, philosophical, and scientific works written in the 1700s and 1800s.

Given the changing nature of word evolution and cultural contexts over time, this valuable resource allows readers to find precise word meanings more closely related to times of original authorship and publication.

[D J Rout · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a bound set of photocopies of microfilm. Many pages are so badly skewed they are unreadable and many definitions are half-missing in the reproduction. This is not a book for the serious scholar or someone who values reprintings of old and important works. Point to it on your bookshelf by all means, but don't let someobody browse through it if you don't want to be ridiculed.