Dr Johnson and his Dictionary
4 English Trailblazers Who Changed the World
If you manage a trip to London, do not miss out on visiting the home of Dr Samuel Johnson. It’s a wonderful Georgian house and the only one of his London homes to have survived, and today it is a really excellent museum. Up in the attic you can see where he worked for years on his great dictionary, where he entertained his many literary guests, and drank tea (he described himself as a “hardened and shameless tea drinker”, often indulging in 23 cups in one sitting!). Learn about Dr Johnson’s remarkable life and personality and the story of how he came to work on a book defining words. Discover the enduring legacy of this trailblazing lexicographer.
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This video is about 60 minutes full of intriguing information.
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– Florentine Accademia
Published in 1775, and 2,300 pages long, Dr Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language marked a milestone in a language that desperately needed standards. There had been no scholarly and comprehensive dictionary before he took on the task. No previous dictionary had devoted so much space to everyday words, created such thorough definitions, or illustrated the usage of words from Shakespeare and other great writers. For the next 150 years, Johnson’s Dictionary would define the language.
It took him seven years to complete his task although he thought he would do it in three. According to critic Walter Jackson Bate the Dictionary “easily ranks as one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship, and probably the greatest ever by one individual who laboured under anything like the disadvantages in a comparable length of time.” The book’s influence was sweeping. Johnson established a methodology for lexicography and anyone creating a dictionary after Johnson did so in his shadow. Just $15, purchase access here.
This Zoom video is a real treat! Taken from a live-streamed presentation, it has been carefully recorded and completely edited to deliver the experience of being part of an audience and having the best seat in the house. It is about 60 minutes full of intriguing information about this Scottish Trailblazer and includes audience participation. Buy it now and view your video immediately. Just $15, purchase access here.
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Here are links for additional materials I can recommend. I include a reading list of books in print, ebook, or audio. You can enjoy movie versions, related videos, weblinks, and much more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here. Have anything to add here? Let me know.
WORKS BY DR JOHNSON
Here are links to some of Dr Johnson’s works, for a full bibliography, please look here: Dr Johnson major works
Samuel Johnson: A Dictionary of the English Language, complete digitised version online
Samuel Johnson: Selected Works by Samuel Johnson
WORKS BY DR JOHNSON – FREE DOWNLOAD
Some free versions are better than others, please feel free to try these, but I cannot guarantee the quality.
Gutenberg: Dr Johnson, a selection of ebook editions
Free downloadable versions in various formats including Kindle, epub, pdf and others.
If you are unsure of how to add these files to your ereader, look here.
Librivox: Dr Johnson, a selection of audio editions
WORKS ABOUT DR JOHNSON
Samuel Johnson: A Biography by Peter Martin
The Personal History of Samuel Johnson by Christopher Hibbert
Dr Johnson’s Dictionary: The Book that Defined the World by Henry Hitchings
The World in Thirty-Eight Chapters or Dr Johnson’s Guide to Life by Henry Hitchings
The Making of Dr Johnson by John Wiltshire
MOVIES & VIDEOS
YouTube: BBC – Samuel Johnson, The Dictionary Man
LINKS
Susannah Fullerton: Dr Johnson is born
Susannah Fullerton: Samuel Johnson agrees to compile a dictionary
Susannah Fullerton: Samuel Johnson publishes A Dictionary of the English Language
Susannah Fullerton: Dr Johnson dies
Susannah Fullerton: The Johnson Society of Australia
Susannah Fullerton: A clean shirt for the ladies … Dr Johnson and women of Scotland, a free video talk
Susannah Fullerton: Dr Johnson & His Dictionary, a video talk
A Dictionary of the English Language by Dr Samuel Johnson online
24 Weird and Wonderful Entries in Dr Johnson’s Dictionary
The Johnson Society of Australia
Dr Johnson’s House
Samuel Johnson and Hodge his cat
Samuel Johnson quotations