Johnson's Preface to Shakespeare: A facsimile of the 1778 edition with introduction and commentary

This edition and commentary assists readers in understanding Johnson's language and ideas. Sometimes, Johnson own Dictionary has been used to elucidate obscurities; sometimes, interpretation has been aided by reference to usage of the same word or term elsewhere in Johnson, or by some other writer. The major purpose of the edition is, however, to provide evidence of the critical, literary and personal background to the Preface, especially by the use of extracts from Johnson's edition of Shakespeare, so that the attention of the reader is brought to lines, speeches and plays that Johnson may have had in mind in his general remarks in the Preface.