Item Details
The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.:. Comprehending an Account of His Studies and Numerous Works, In Chronological Order; A Series of his Epistolary Correspondence and Conversations with Many Eminent Persons; and Various Original Pieces of his Composition ... In Three Volumes. The Second Edition, Revised and Augmented.
London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, 1793. First Edition Thus (Second Revised and Augmented Edition). Hardcover. Engraved portrait frontispiece, after the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds (by J. Baker). Includes the fold-out 'Round Robin' plate (Vol. II) and a fold-out plate containing facsimiles of Dr. Johnson's handwriting (Vol. III). The last edition published in Boswell's lifetime, it contains additional material including "Additions to Dr. Johnson's Life Recollected, and Received after the Second Edition was Printed" (pp. *i-*xxii); "A Chronological Catalogue of the Prose Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D" [noted as the first attempt at a Johnson bibliography] (pp. *xxiii-*xxxi); and "Corrections" (pp. *xxxiii-*xxxvi) but not the leaf of Additional Corrections (*c3 in Volume I), which has been tipped into some copies. It is worth noting that this tipped in leave may constitute a later issue of the edition. "The text of the second edition. deserves a close study. Although we believe that the third represents the form in which Boswell would ultimately have arranged [the] supplementary material, we can never be sure of it, for this edition was the last actually published in his lifetime. There were also many pleasant and characteristic sentences introduced in this edition which naturally dropped out when the text was shaken together by Malone" (Pottle 81; see also, Rothschild 468). Overall, a very handsome set, seldom found in as close to original state as is found here. Very Good [Textblock Near Fine]. No DJ as Issued. Light shelf/edge wear, even toning to spines and text block edges, professionally rebacked (circa mid-19th cent.), minor sporadic foxing at preliminaries, discrete owner notations at endpages, else tight, bright and unmarred. Full brown leather boards (original sheep boards carefully matched to a calf spines), burgundy leather labels, gilt lettering and decorative elements, frontispiece. 8vo. xviii, xxxvii, 603pp; 634pp; 711pp. Illus. (b/w plates). Item #4478
Price: $2,000.00