The Life Of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.

James Boswell, Esq

One of 1750 copies issued in the First Edition. First state with the first volume containing two cancels and 'gve' for 'give' on p.135, l.10, the second volume with the large number of misnumbered pages and five cancelled leaves. Annotation in period hand on p. 136, marking the attribution of performance of C. B. , dedicated to Charles Bathurst, as erroneous. Pottle 79. [xxviii], 516; [ii], 586 [sic, wrongly numbered as 588], [2]; All plates present, volume one with the frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson, engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds (1756) painting; volume two with "The Round Robin" at p. 92 and "fac-similes of Dr. Johnson's handwriting" at p. 588. With the booklabels of William Downes and Moreau Delano on marbled pastedown. Contemporary calf, rebacked, some light scattered foxing and soiling, a very pleasing, mostly close to Fine copy of this landmark set;

Often praised as the greatest biography written in English, Boswell's famous work covers Samuel Johnson, (1709 -1784), English poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer.