The Lives of the Poets

Here is a substantial selection of Samuel Johnson's magisterial and unforgettable portraits of the lives of the English poets of the 17th and 18th centuries. Originally covering the lives of 52 poets, with the primary focus on Milton, Dryden, Swift, and Pope, Johnson's Lives was described by Thomas Gray as a "compendious story of a whole important age in English literature, told by a great man, and in a performance which is itself a piece of English literature of the first class." Unsentimental, opinionated, and quotable, The Lives of the Poets continues to influence the reputations of the writers concerned. This selection--featuring the lives of eleven of the most important poets--draws from Roger Lonsdale's authoritative complete edition. It includes an engaging introduction, helpful notes, and an up-to-date bibliography. Its publication coincides with the 300th anniversary of Johnson's birth in September 1709.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Roger Lonsdale was formerly Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford. His publications include The New Oxford Book of Eighteenth-Century Verse and Eighteenth-Century Women Poets: An Oxford Anthology John Mullan teaches at University College London. He is a broadcaster and literary journalist, with a weekly column on fiction for the Guardian newspaper. He has edited Defoe's Roxana for OWC, and is the author of How Novels Work (OUP, 2006) and Anonymity: A Secret History of English Literature (Faber, 2007).