Books

Philadelphia: Moses Thomas, 1818. First Unabridged American edition from the 11th London edition. 4to, 2 large volumes, unpaginated. Bound in full calf, elaborately stamped in gilt (worn at the extremities of the spine, weak on the hinges. Engraved frontispiece portrait of Johnson in volume 1. AEG, With an ownership signature of George Plitt from 1824 and a note by his son John that the set was rebound in 1849. Waterstain to the inner margin of the half-title and title-page of volume two. Generally a very good set. Shaw and Shoemaker 44473; Printing and the Mind of Man, 201 (ref). " Begun in 1747 and printed over five years, Johnson's Dictionary set the standard for all subsequent lexicographical work. Its excellence was immediately recognized in all quarters and the first edition of two thousand copies sold quickly. What set Johnson's Dictionary apart from earlier efforts was his reliance on the examples of English literature rather than his own intuition or previous word lists or…

Samuel Johnson's 'A Dictionary of the English Language' is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language. First published on 15 April 1755, the dictionary offered comprehensive definitions and illustrative examples of usage.

First editions can be determined by the presence of certain misprints, as Johnson's Dictionary underwent numerous small alterations as later editions were printed. The first edition is also spread over two large, heavy volumes.