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 centuryBook Details
Edition Notes
"This Dover edition, first published in 2005, is an unabridged republication of the original work published in 1963 by Pantheon Books, New York"--T.p. verso.
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Excerpts
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Preface
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Feedback?June 17, 2022 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
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December 7, 2009 | Created by WorkBot | new work |