Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Is Published
Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language, published on April 15, 1755, marks a significant milestone in the history of English lexicography. Johnson, a notable figure in English literature known for his prose and eccentric personality, undertook this monumental project at the request of booksellers. Over eight years, he compiled approximately 40,000 entries that, while not exhaustive compared to later dictionaries, represented the first serious attempt to catalog the English language. His entries often included witty comments and social observations, showcasing his unique perspective on language and society.
Despite facing financial challenges and personal tragedies, including the death of his wife, Johnson remained dedicated to his work. His refusal of patronage from the influential Lord Chesterfield upon the dictionary's completion is a testament to his literary independence. The dictionary's publication not only solidified Johnson's reputation but also laid the groundwork for future lexicographical efforts. Johnson’s legacy continued through his friendship with James Boswell, whose biography captures the complexities of Johnson's character and contributions to literature.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Is Published
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Is Published
On April 15, 1755, Samuel Johnson's landmark A Dictionary of the English Language was first published. Johnson (1709–84) is a prominent figure in English literature for his skills as a prose writer and his lexicography. He was also the subject of an equally famous biography, the Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell, published in 1791.
Johnson, known by his peers variously as Doctor Johnson, Dictionary Johnson, and even the Great Cham of Literature, was regarded as a brilliant but eccentric individual all his life. These qualities were reflected in the dictionary, which he began in 1747 at the behest of a consortium of booksellers who admired the various literary works he had been writing for magazines and periodicals in London since the late 1730s. After eight years, Johnson produced a massive work for them, consisting of some 40,000 entries. Although far from comprehensive—certainly not in comparison to later works like The Oxford English Dictionary of the 19th century—this was the first serious attempt to survey the English language and an amazing feat for one man to accomplish (modern dictionaries employ staffs). The 40,000 entries were enlivened by Johnson's occasional witty comments and wry observations about everything from social conditions to contemporary tastes. A lifelong foe of the Scots, he defined oats as “grain, that in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people,” prompting an outraged Scotsman to retort, “Aye, and where will you find such horses, or such men?” Lexicographer he defined as “a maker of dictionaries; a harmless drudge,” but he took his work seriously: In the preface to the volume he wrote, “I am not yet so lost in lexicography as to forget that words are the daughters of earth and that things are the sons of heaven. Language is only the instrument of science, and words are but the signs of ideas: I wish, however, that the instrument might be less apt to decay, and that signs might be permanent, like the things they denote”—a good-enough reason for compiling a dictionary, which would help fix the meanings of words. To a lady who professed to be shocked to find profane words included, he merely replied, “Madam, you have been looking for them.”
In Johnson's day, it was customary for writers to apply to great men to subsidize their work; these patrons would supply funds, and in exchange the work, when it was completed, would be dedicated to them, generally in a flattering preface. When Johnson undertook the dictionary, he realized that it would take years to finish and in the meantime he and his wife would be extremely poor, so he applied to Philip Dormer Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield, for patronage. Lord Chesterfield was known to be a friend to writers, but in this case he was not; he never answered Johnson's letter. Perhaps the project was not glamorous enough. However, eight years later, when the dictionary was finally published and looked to create a sensation, Chesterfield suddenly offered to sponsor it and Johnson had the satisfaction of turning him down, in a letter that is still quoted as a declaration of literary independence. Johnson lived hand-to-mouth while he compiled the dictionary, and he and his wife must often have been cold and hungry; the privations they endured may have hastened her death, in 1752.
After his wife's death, Johnson turned increasingly to friends to alleviate his loneliness and his chronic bouts of nervous depression. He undertook other projects, such as an edition of Shakespeare's plays, and in 1764 founded the Literary Club, where he could talk the night away in the company of writers, actors, statesmen, and artists. One of his closest associates was James Boswell, a giddy young Scot who greatly admired the older man and wrote down their conversations. It is Boswell who provides the most complete picture of this remarkable man.