Books

London: T. Longman, B. Law, J. Dodley, H. Baldwin, J. Johnson, C. Dilly [& 46 others in London],, 1796. An attractive set with an authoritative biography Early edition, contemporarily bound and including an extended account of Johnson's life by his enduring friend Arthur Murphy. Following Johnson's death in 1784, those in his circle became highly protective of his legacy and began curating his works and anecdotes so that the life and opinions of the great lexicographer would not be forgotten. It was the playwright Arthur Murphy (1727-1806) who introduced to Johnson the diarist Hester Thrale, whose writings form another important primary source for Johnson's life. Murphy's preface, which first appeared in the 1792 edition, joined a chorus of criticism of John Hawkins, whose own biographical preface in the original collected edition of 1787 was roundly discredited by Johnson's acquaintances. Murphy opens the edition by musing upon the popularity of literary biographies: "The admirer…