JOHNSON'S DICTIONARY: A Modern Selection

In 1755, when Johnson's dictionary appeared in two large folio volumes, it was not only one of the first before Webster, but it was to be ""perhaps the best"" until the Oxford II volume competitor. It was sovereign in its field for about 100 years, and it has been out of print for the same period of time. While it is not only a ""one-man but a very personal dictionary"", its permanent values for instance its definitions and examples are more extensive than in any other dictionary) far override its idiosyncrasies. Abridged now, and including the Preface from the first edition, it will be a welcome acquisition for many libraries; it has both tremendous reference and curiosa value, and any wordtaster will find much to amuse and astonish -- from ""anacamptick"" to ""gobbet"" (""a low word"").