Works by Johnson
- “Messiah” (1728), a translation into Latin of Pope’s poem
- A Voyage to Abyssinia (1735), translation from French into English of Jeronimo Lobo’s work
- “London” (poem) (1738)
- Gentleman’s Magazine, staff writer and editor (1738-1745)
- An Account of the Life of Mr Richard Savage (1744)
- Plan for a Dictionary of the English Language (1747)
- The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749)
- Irene (play) (1749)
- The Rambler (1750-1752)
- authoritative edition on Kindle, ed. Paul Rodriguez
- The Adventurer (1753-1754)
- A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)
- online version in progress, ed. Brandi Besalke
- The Idler (1758-1760)
- Rasselas (1759)
- The Plays of William Shakespeare (1765)
- The False Alarm (1770), political pamphlet
- Thoughts on the Late Transactions Respecting Falkland’s Islands (1771), political pamphlet
- The Patriot (1774), political pamphlet
- Taxation No Tyranny (1775), political pamphlet
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775)
- Lives of the Poets (1779-1781)
The authoritative modern edition of Johnson’s writing is published by Yale University Press. Volumes in print have been published, but it is also becoming freely available online (although in a non-user-friendly web format):
Johnson’s scattered writings on various themes and in various formats are part of the Yale edition:
- Diaries, Prayers, and Annals (ed. E. L. McAdam Jr., 1958)
- Poems (ed. E. L. McAdam Jr., 1964)
- Johnson on Shakespeare (ed. Arthur Sherbo, 1968)
- Political Writings (ed. Donald Greene, 1977)
- Sermons (ed. Jean Hagstrum and James Gray, 1978)
- Johnson on the English Language (ed. Gwin J. Kolb and Robert DeMaria Jr., 1990)
And there are other editions of other writings by Johnson:
- The Letters of Samuel Johnson (ed. R. W. Chapman, 1952)
- The Letters of Samuel Johnson (ed. Bruce Redford, 1992-1994)
- The Complete English Poems (ed. J. D. Fleeman, 1971)
- Samuel Johnson: The Latin Poems (transl. and ed. Niall Rudd, 2005)
- Early Biographical Writings of Dr. Johnson (ed. J. D. Fleeman, 1973)
- Samuel Johnson’s Prefaces and Dedications (ed. A. T. Hazen, 1937)
Works about Johnson
- Bate, W. Jackson. Samuel Johnson (1979)
- Boswell, James. Life of Samuel Johnson (1791)
- Nokes, David. Samuel Johnson: A Life (2009)
- Smith, David Nichol. “Johnson and Boswell.” In The Cambridge History of English and American Literature (1907-1921)
- Thrale, Hester. Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson (1786)
- Wain, John. Samuel Johnson: A Biography (1974)
