Essays from the Rambler and the Idler, with passages from the Lives of the poets, Prayers and meditations, and other writings

[from] The rambler: Difficulty of the first address. The dignity and usefulness of biography, Prejudices and caprices of criticism, The advantages of living in a garret, Idleness a miserable state, An authour in quest of his character, Valedictory

[from] The Idler: Salutatory, Discourses on the weather, On the death of a friend (Johnson's mother), Books fall into neglect, Sufficiency of the English language

[from] The English dictionary: The plan of an English dictionary, Letter to Lord Chesterfield, Preface to the English dictionary

[from] Lives of the poets: Milton as a school master, The composition of "Paradise Lost", Milton's religious and political opinions, Addison as a critic, Pope and Dryden compared

Prayers and meditations