Book Cover -- Title -- Contents -- PREFACE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- NOTE ON THE TEXT -- INTRODUCTION -- JOHNSON seeking a publisher for London, 1738 -- WILLIAM MUDFORD on London and The Vanity of Human Wishes, 1802 -- JOHN AIKIN on Johnson's poems, 1804 -- A Criticism on Mahomet and Irene, 1749 -- JOHN HIPPISLEY (?), An Essay on Tragedy, 1749 -- Two early tributes, 1750 -- JOHNSON surveys his purpose and achievement, Rambler, 1752 -- ARTHUR MURPHY, Essay on the Life and Genius of Johnson, 1792 -- GEORGE GLEIG in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1797 -- MUDFORD on the 'moral utility' of the Rambler, 1802 -- ALEXANDER CHALMERS in British Essayists, 1802 -- HAZLITT on the Rambler, 1819 -- JOHNSON'S Plan of a Dictionary, 1747 -- Foreign notice of the Plan, 1747 -- CHESTERFIELD in the World, 1754 -- JOHNSON writes to Thomas Warton, 1755 -- JOHNSON'S letter to Chesterfield, 1755 -- JOHNSON'S Preface, 1755 -- ADAM SMITH, unsigned review, Edinburgh Review, 1755 -- HORNE TOOKE'S Diversions of Purley, 1786 -- A German view of the Dictionary, 1798 -- An American view of the Dictionary, 1807 -- OWEN RUFFHEAD, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1759 -- Unsigned notice, Annual Register, 1759 -- MUDFORD on Rasselas, 1802 -- MRS BARBAULD, The British Novelists, 1810 -- JOHNSON'S Proposals for his edition of Shakespeare, 1756 -- From Johnson's Preface to the first edition, 1765 -- GEORGE COLMAN, unsigned notice, St. James's Chronicle, 1765 -- WILLIAM KENRICK, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1765 -- WILLIAM KENRICK, Review of Johnson's Shakespeare, 1765 -- JAMES BARCLAY, Examination of Mr. Kenrick's Review, 1766 -- VOLTAIRE, 'Art Dramatique', in Questions sur l'Encylopedie, 1770 -- SCHLEGEL, Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature, 1808 -- COLERIDGE on Johnson's Shakespeare, 1811 16 -- HAZLITT, Characters of Shakespear's Plays, 1817.

Unsigned review of The False Alarm, Critical Review, 1770 -- Unsigned review of The False Alarm, Monthly Review, 1770 -- PERCIVAL STOCKDALE, The Remonstrance, 1770 -- JOHN WILKES, A Letter to Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1770 -- JOSEPH TOWERS, A Letter to Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1775 -- Anonymous, Tyranny Unmasked, 1775 -- ROBERT FERGUSSON, 'To Dr. Samuel Johnson', 1773 -- RALPH GRIFFITHS, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1775 -- Anonymous, Remarks on a Voyage to the Hebrides, 1775 -- JAMES MCINTYRE, 'On Samuel Johnson, who wrote against Scotland', 1775 -- DONALD MCNICOL, Remarks on Dr. Samuel Johnsons Journey to the Hebrides, 1779 -- EDWARD DILLY to James Boswell, 1777 -- Advertisement to the Lives, 1779 -- EDMUND CARTWRIGHT, unsigned review, Monthly Review, 1779 82 -- Unsigned review, Critical Review, 1779 81 -- WILLIAM COWPER'S opinions of the Lives, 1779 91 -- FRANCIS BLACKBURNE, Remarks on Johnson's Life of Milton, 1780 -- WALPOLE on the Life of Pope, 1781 -- WILLIAM FITZTHOMAS, Dr. Johnson's Strictures on the Lyric Performances of Gray, 1781 -- Unsigned review, Annual Register, 1782 -- ROBERT POTTER, Inquiry, 1783 -- SIR JOHN HAWKINS, Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1787 -- ROBERT POTTER, The Art of Criticism, 1789 -- ANNA SEWARD'S opinions of the Lives, 1789 97 -- DEQUINCEY, 'Postscript respecting Johnson's Life of Milton', 1859 -- ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL, Lexiphanes, 1767 -- JOHNSON defends his style, 1777 -- WALPOLE, 'General Criticism of Dr. Johnson's Writings', c. 1779 -- ROBERT BURROWES, on 'the Stile of Doctor Samuel Johnson', 1786 -- ANNA SEWARD on Johnson's prose style, 1795 -- NATHAN DRAKE on the influence of Johnson's style, 1809 -- SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH, private journal, 1811 -- COLERIDGE'S opinions on Johnson's style, 1818 33 -- CHARLES CHURCHILL, 'Pomposo' in The Ghost, 1762 -- JOHN WILKES, North Briton, 1762.

BLAKE, 'An Island in the Moon', c. 1784 -- JOHN COURTENAY, A Poetical Review, 1786 -- JOSEPH TOWERS, An Essay, 1786 -- BOSWELL, The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D., 1791 -- ANNA SEWARD'S general estimate of Johnson, 1796 -- GEORGE MASON, Epitaph on Johnson, 1796 -- RICHARD CUMBERLAND, Memoirs, 1807 -- SCOTT, Lives of the Novelists, 1821 4 -- MACAULAY, review of Croker's edition of Boswell's Life, Edinburgh Review, 1831 -- CARLYLE, review of Croker's edition of Boswell's Life, Fraser's Magazine, 1832 -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- SELECT INDEX.