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First edition of the greatest biography in the English language, "one of Western literature's most germinal achievements" (ODNB). The immense task of compiling the thousands of notes Boswell had recorded on "the great man's talk, habits and opinions" was begun after Johnson's death in 1784. Made up of trifling incidents as well as the significant events in Johnson's life, the work sold 800 copies in the first two weeks of publication and remains a masterpiece of portraiture. "The Life of Johnson was no single book miraculously produced by an inexperienced author. It was the crowning achievement of an artist who for more than twenty-five years had been deliberately disciplining himself for such a task" (Pottle, p. xxi). "Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic poets, Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of dramatists, Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of orators, than Boswell is the first of biographers" (Macaulay). This copy has all the usual cancels and misprints as called for by Pottle, aside from vol. I, p. 135 with the corrected state "give" on line ten. As corrections were made in the press, the misprints are variant states for individual sheets, and do not indicate priority of issue for any copy. Provenance: bookplate of William Lewis Hughes, Lord Dinorben (1767-1852) to the front pastedowns. Dinorben built huge wealth through the Llysdulas estate on Anglesey, where he operated the largest copper mine in Europe. He was MP. First edition of the greatest biography in the English language, "one of Western literature's most germinal achievements" (ODNB). The immense task of compiling the thousands of notes Boswell had recorded on "the great man's talk, habits and opinions" was begun after Johnson's death in 1784. Made up of trifling incidents as well as the significant events in Johnson's life, the work sold 800 copies in the first two weeks of publication and remains a masterpiece of portraiture. "The Life of Johnson was no single book miraculously produced by an inexperienced author. It was the crowning achievement of an artist who for more than twenty-five years had been deliberately disciplining himself for such a task" (Pottle, p. xxi). "Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic poets, Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of dramatists, Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of orators, than Boswell is the first of biographers" (Macaulay). This copy has all the usual cancels and misprints as called for by Pottle, aside from vol. I, p. 135 with the corrected state "give" on line ten. As corrections were made in the press, the misprints are variant states for individual sheets, and do not indicate priority of issue for any copy. Provenance: bookplate of William Lewis Hughes, Lord Dinorben (1767-1852) to the front pastedowns. Dinorben built huge wealth through the Llysdulas estate on Anglesey, where he operated the largest copper mine in Europe. He was MP for Wallingford from 1802 to 1831, afterwards raised to the peerage. READ MORE Two volumes, quarto (281 x 218 mm). Contemporary calf, neatly rebacked with the original spines laid down, twin green and morocco labels, gilt in compartments. Stipple-engraved portrait frontispiece of Johnson by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 2 engraved plates by H. Shepherd reproducing manuscripts in facsimile. Bound without initial blank in Vol. II. Slight rubbing and very minor wear to corners. Vol. I with discreet repair in inner margin of frontispiece and title page, repair to short closed tear at head of pp. xi-xii, unrepaired closed tear at fore edge of pp. 317-8, discoloration at foot in inner margin towards beginning and end; contents of both volumes otherwise clean with sporadic light foxing. A very good copy. Courtney 172; ESTC T64481; Grolier English 100, 54; NCBEL II, p. 1214; Pottle, Literary Career of James Boswell 79; Rothschild 463; Tinker 338.

Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. is a biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson written by James Boswell. It is regarded as an important stage in the development of the modern genre of biography and has been described as the greatest biography written in English.