THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON; Comprehending an Account of His Studies and Numerous Works, in Chronological Order; A Series of His Epistolary Correspondence and Conversations with Many Eminent Persons; and Various Original Pieces of His Composition, Never Before Published by (Johnson, Samuel), by James Boswell - 1791

London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, 1791. First edition. Two volumes. First state with "gve" p.135:10 in first volume. Engraved portrait of Johnson after Sir Joshua Reynolds in Volume I and two engraved plates in Volume II, as called for (facing pp. 92 and "588"). Quarto (4to), full-leather sympathetically recased with original contemporaneous mottled calf laid down, new gilt-ruled leather spines with gilt-lettered black leather title and volume labels supplied. Text blocks appear to have been trimmed approximately 1/8" on tops, bottoms and fore edges, Foxing to plates and opposing pages, otherwise both volumes are quite clean. Housed in lightly worn custom half-morocco slipcase and chemise. BOSWELL'S JOHNSON, THE MOST CELEBRATED BIOGRAPHY IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE