P R E F A C E.
It is the fate of those who toil at the lower employments of life, to be rather driven by the fear of' evil, than attracted by the prospect of good, to be exposed to censure, without hope of praise ; to be disgraced by miscarriage, or punished for neglect, where success would have been without applause, and diligence without reward.
Among these unhappy mortals is the writer of dictionaries, whom mankind have confidered, not as the pupil, but the slave of science, the pioneer of literature, doomed only to remove rubbish and clear obstructions from the paths through which Learning and Genius press forward to conquest and glory, without bestowing a smile on the humble drudge that facilitates their progress. Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach, and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few.
I have, notwithstanding this discouragement, attempted a Dictionary of the English language, which, while it was employed in the cultivation of every species of literature, has itself been hitherto neglected, suffered to spread, under the direction of chance, into wild exuberance ; resigned to the tyranny of time and fashion; and exposed to the corruptions of ignorance, and caprices of innovation.
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A dictionary with more than 40,000 entries which was a primary reference source for scholars and writers of the 18th and 19th century.
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Previews available in: English
Subjects
English language, Dictionaries, Early works to 1800, Lexicography, Grammar, History, Anglais (Langue), Dictionnaires, British & Irish history: c 1700 to c 1900, Social history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784, Reference, 18th century, English, Engels, Lexikografie, Description and travel, Travel, Freer Gallery of Art, English language, dictionariesTimes
18th centuryShowing 11 featured editions. View all 104 editions?
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01
Johnson's dictionary: a modern selection
2005, Dover Publications
in English
0486440893 9780486440897
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02
Samuel Johnson's dictionary: selections from the 1755 work that defined the English language
2002, Levenger Press
in English
1929154100 9781929154104
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03
Johnson's dictionary: modern selection
1995, Cassell, Orion Publishing Group, Limited
in English
- Abridged ed.
0304347051 9780304347056
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04
Samuel Johnson's dictionary: a modern selection
1981, Pantheon Books
in English
0394749057 9780394749051
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05
Johnson's Dictionary: a Modern Selection by E. L. McAdam and George Milne
April 1974, HarperCollins (paper)
Paperback
in English
0060903090 9780060903091
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A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers : to which are prefixed a history of the language, and an English grammar
1799, Printed for J. Johnson [and 27 others]
in English
- The eighth edition, corrected and revised.
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- Created September 2, 2008
- 7 revisions
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November 4, 2011 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
November 4, 2011 | Edited by WorkBot | add editions to new work |
August 3, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | merge works |
August 3, 2010 | Edited by WorkBot | add editions to new work |
September 2, 2008 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Talis record |