Lives of the Poets Author:Samuel Johnson Lives of the Poets is a work by Samuel Johnson, comprising of short biographies and critical appraisals of 52 poets, most of whom lived during the eighteenth century. It is arranged, approximately, by date of death. Six of the Lives have been singled out as the most "important": John Milton, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Joseph Addison, Jonathan ... more »Swift, and Thomas Gray.« less