Books

Philadelphia: published by Moses Thomas, J. Maxwell, printer, 1818. First complete American edition, 2 volumes, thick quartos, complete with the half-titles and the engraved frontis portrait of Johnson after Reynolds; vol. I: [124] & unpaginated lexicon in triple column, collating [*1-*2], b1-d2, e1-r2, A1-6X4; vol. II: [2] & unpaginated lexicon, collating [*1-*2], B1-7D2; recent quarter brown calf antique, red morocco labels on gilt-paneled spines; some dampstaining in the fore-margins of the second volume, a number of leaves with small, neat paper repairs to the corners, otherwise generally fine and sound. Another issue of the same date but from different plates and in 4 volumes octavo is decidedly later. Heavily abridged versions in miniature format and bearing no resemblance to Johnson's original had appeared in America as early as 1804, but the full text did not appear until it was undertaken by Moses Thomas in Philadelphia in 1818. This event "was the last straw in [his]…

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.