Samuel Johnson: 60 books

Written virtually single-handedly over a seven-year period by a revered dean of English letters, Johnson’s Dictionary first appeared in 1755. A remarkable monument to the vigor and variety of our language and to the genius of its author, it served as the standard dictionary for more than 150 years...

William Shakespeare is widely considered to have been the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s greatest dramatist.  More than 400 years after Shakespeare’s death, his plays are still performed more than any other playwright and have been translated into every major language...

Introduced by Ian McGowan. Samuel Johnson and James Boswell spent the autumn of 1773 touring the Highlands and Western Islands of Scotland. Both kept detailed notes of their impressions, and later published separate accounts of their journey. These accounts of their great tour contain some of the...

Contents: 1. Use Preview To See Table of Contents Inside Also available: The Complete Harvard Classics Collection (51 Volumes + The Harvard Classic Shelf Of Fiction) 50 Masterpieces You Have To Read Before You Die (Golden Deer Classics)

This volume contains a generous selection from the essays Johnson published twice weekly as 'The Rambler' in the early 1750s. It was here that he first created the literary character and forged the distinctive prose style that established him as a public figure. Also included here is the best of Johnson's...

From the General Introduction: "Dr. Johnson's reaction to Shakespeare's tragedies is a curious one, compounded as it is of deep emotional involvement in a few scenes in some plays and a strange dispassionateness toward most of the others. I suspect that his emotional involvement took root when he...

'What then is to be done? said Rasselas; the more we inquire, the less we can resolve.' Rasselas and his companions escape the pleasures of the 'happy valley' in order to make their 'choice of life'. By witnessing the misfortunes and miseries of others they may come to understand the nature of happiness,...

Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, leaves the easy life of the Happy Valley, accompanied by his sister Nekayah, her attendant Pekuah, and the much-travelled philosopher Imlac. Their journey takes them to Egypt, where they study the various conditions of men's lives, before returning home in a 'conclusion...

The We Belong Bunch: Pookie J.’s School Day is a children’s story about understanding and embracing each other’s differences to foster healthy relationships. The story is told from the perspective of Pookie J., a fifth-grade boy who wants to one day be a college professor like his father. He...

Part of the author’s magisterial survey of the beliefs of the East, this 1872 volume on the religion, life, and philosophy of India is the result to twenty years of study. Johnson thoughtfully discusses Hinduism, Buddhism, ethics, Nirvana, hymns, traditions, the role of women, piety, morality, transmigration, incarnation, and more.

From Shakespeare’s historical plays and comedies such as As You Like It and The Taming of the Shrew, to the great tragedies of Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet you will find the famous plots, wit and drama. This volume is a reprint of the Hayes Barton titles published for the educational market. Included are his Sonnets and longer poems.

I had desired to visit the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, so long, that I scarcely remember how the wish was originally excited; and was in the Autumn of the year 1773 induced to undertake the journey, by finding in Mr. Boswell a companion, whose acuteness would help my inquiry, and whose...