The Lives of the English Poets Volume 2 Author:Samuel Johnson This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1858 edition by Bernhard Tauchnitz, Leipzig. Aside from his Dictionary of the English Language, this may be the best-known of Johnson's works. "To judge rightly of an author," Johnson writes, "we must transport ourselves to his time, and examine what were the wants of his contemporaries, and... more » what were his means of supplying them." The study has gained particular acclaim for Johnson's adherance to this critical ideal; although many of his analyses reflect, in turn, the conventions of his own time, his style, method, and insights have remained highly respected.« less