With these two volumes Princeton University Press concludes the first scholarly edition of the letters of Samuel Johnson to appear in forty years. Volume IV chronicles the last three years of Johnson's life, an epistolary endgame that includes the br... Read more

With these two volumes Princeton University Press concludes the first scholarly edition of the letters of Samuel Johnson to appear in forty years. Volume IV chronicles the last three years of Johnson's life, an epistolary endgame that includes the breakup of the friendship with Hester Thrale and a poignant reaching out to new friends and new experiences. Volume V includes not only the comprehensive index but those undated letters that cannot confidently be assigned to a specific year, ghost letters (those whose existence is documented in other sources), three letters that have recently been recovered, and translations of Johnson's letters in Latin. Bruce Redford is Professor of English at the University of Chicago and the author of The Converse of the Pen: Acts of Intimacy in the Eighteenth-Century Familiar Letter (Chicago).From reviews of Volumes I, II, and III:The publishing event of the year. . . .--Andrew Marr, The Independent WeekendI am sorry not to owe so much, but to repay so little.' Gratitude for such memorable sayings is in order, not only to Dr. Johnson but to Dr. Redford. These, the first three volumes of five, have been edited with skill, acumen, and learning. Handsome in design, consistent and economical in procedures, respectful, this edition will come to replace that of R. W. Chapman forty years ago.--Christopher Ricks, The New CriterionThere have been serious editions of Dr. Johnson's correspondence before, . . . but this one, done in an appropriately grand manner, supersedes them all.--Frank Kermode, Sunday TelegraphThe Letters of Samuel Johnson, superbly edited by Bruce Redford, [are] beautifully printed and bound . . . three volumes so far and two to come. I found the letters a revelation of Johnson's personality.--Sir Alec Guiness, in Books of the Year, The [London] Sunday TimesA magnificent compendium. . . .--A. N. Wilson, The London Evening StandardMr. Redford's readers--and the readers were the only persons in whom Johnson put his trust--will rightly thank the editor of these three volumes, a labor of love as well as of scholarship.--Asa Briggs, The Washington TimesTo read Johnson's letters is to get at the very soul and intellect of the late eighteenth century. With the help of Bruce Redford and Princeton University Press, the opportunity is here for the taking.--Michael Seidel, New York NewsdayThis promises to be the most complete and accurate scholarly edition of Johnson's letters to date, including letters previously unknown and portions of letters previously expurgated. But, while the editor's emphasis has been on providing an edition for scholars, there is much that will appeal to the common reader, from the forthrightness of Johnson's opinions to the majestic undulations of his prose style.--Merle Rubin, The Christian Science Monitor Less