Forgotten But Not Gone

A Samuel Johnson Trove Goes to Harvard's Library

"The collection holds the only known copy with untrimmed pages of the first edition of Dr. Johnson's 1755 dictionary, the first in the English language. It also contains corrected proofs of James Boswell's biography of Johnson as well as a number of letters exchanged between the two men. And it opens a window into Johnson's exclusive literary club of authors and scholars that included Boswell, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Edmund Burke, and his friend the actor and producer David Garrick."

Although largely vanished from popular consciousness, the brilliant career of Samuel Johnson continues to fascination scholars of the eighteenth century -- a fascination reflected in Harvard's exultation over the acquisition of this collection. One thing the article does not explain, however, is why Lady Eccles chose Harvard. One would have thought, for instance, that an English university might have been more appropriate. Perhaps she wanted to help Harvard compensate for the fact that Yale has most of Boswell's papers.