The Idler

London: J Hodges; et al, 1790. Leather. Very Good. 7" by 4.5. None. A complete sixth edition of Samuel Johnson's well liked collection of one-hundred and three essays, with contributions from the likes of Joshua Reynolds. Complete in two volumes. The sixth edition of this work. 'The Idler' is a collection of one-hundred and three essays. They were originally published in the 'Universal Chronicle' weekly publication between 1758 and 1760. The essays were incredibly popular when they were being published, and people began reprinting them without permission. The essays include 'Proposal for a Female Army', 'Charities and Hospitals', 'Capture of Louisbourg', 'On Sleep', 'Self-Denial Necessary', 'Ladies' Journey to London', 'Grand Style of Painting', 'Physical Evil Moral Good', and more. Samuel Johnson wrote all but twelve of the essays, with the other twelve written by Thomas Warton, Bennet Langton, and Joshua Reynolds. Samuel Johnson has been revered by some as being the only true great critic of English literature of his time. Possibly his best known work was his influential 'A Dictionary of the English Language', which had a far-reaching effect on the Modern English language. That dictionary remained the standard for one-hundred and fifty years, when the 'Oxford English Dictionary' was published. In a full calf binding. Externally, generally smart. Volume I lacks one of the spine labels. Some loss to the head of the spines. Minor bumping to the extremities. Some light marks to the boards. Light rubbing to the spines. Small cracks to the joints. Small amount of loss to the tail of the spine of Volume I. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are lightly age-toned and generally clean with the odd spot. Small chip to page 183/184, affecting four words. Very Good