A Dictionary of the English Language: In Which the Words are Deduced from their Originals, and Illustrated in Their Different Significations by Examples from the Best Writers. To Which are Prefixed a History of the Language, and an English Grammar (2 volumes). The Ninth Edition, Corrected and Revised

Johnson, Samuel, LL. D. (1709-1784) and his famous dictionary. the ninth edition

Published by Printed for J. Johnson, et al., London, 1806

About this Item

Handsomely and solidly bound in two quarto volumes. With leather spines stamped brightly in gilt, leather tips and marbled paper-covered boards. Hinges tender. With the bookplate of Harrison Gray and the elegant autographs in bold fountain pen of William H. Bordman/ Somerset St/ Boston/ with spiral flourish. And signed by William Henderson Bordman and Eliz. Henderson Otis on the title pages. H.G. Otis was a U.S. Representative and later Senator and Mayor of Boston (1829-32). Very good throughout with light vertical creasing along the spines. With half titles but lacking the engraved frontispiece portrait by Heath, though the image of Johnson is faintly offset on the verso of the front endpaper. With light staining, soiling, and scuffing to the boards. The autographed front endpaper of volume II has some tearing from being attached in several places to Otis' bookplate, but all is readable. A serviceable copy of the Ninth edition of this amazing lexicon. "Johnson's dictionary was not the first, nor was it unique. It was, however, the most commonly used and imitated for the 150 years between its first publication and the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1928. Other dictionaries, such as Nathan Bailey's Dictionarium Britannicum, included more words, and in the 150 years preceding Johnson's dictionary about twenty other general-purpose monolingual "English" dictionaries had been produced. However, there was open dissatisfaction with the dictionaries of the period. In 1741, David Hume claimed: "The Elegance and Propriety of Stile have been very much neglected among us. We have no Dictionary of our Language, and scarce a tolerable Grammar." Johnson's Dictionary offers insights into the 18th century and "a faithful record of the language people used". It is more than a reference book; it is a work of literature. From the beginning there was universal appreciation not only of the content of the Dictionary but also of Johnson's achievement in single-handedly creating it: "When Boswell came to this part of Johnson's life, more than three decades later, he pronounced that 'the world contemplated with wonder so stupendous a work achieved by one man, while other countries had thought such undertakings fit only for whole academies'." "The Dictionary was considered, from the moment of its inception, to be Johnson's, and from the time of its completion it was Johnson's Dictionaryhis book and his property, his monument, his memorial." (Wikipedia) The Ninth Edition, Corrected and Revised.

Seller Inventory # 430

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Dictionary of the English Language: In Which the Words are Deduced from their Originals, and Illustrated in Their Different Significations by Examples from the Best Writers. To Which are Prefixed a History of the Language, and an English Grammar (2 volumes). The Ninth Edition, Corrected and Revised
• Publisher: Printed for J. Johnson, et al., London
• Publication Date: 1806
• Binding: Hardcover
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Lexicon