Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 11:07:49 -0400

From: Barnhart Barnhart[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]HIGHLANDS.COM

Subject: Samuel Johnson's birthday



Today is the anniversary of the birth of Samuel Johnson, born in 1709. His

dictionary (first

published in 1755) has been described as a monument of English scholarship.

His was not the

first dictionary of English, not even the first big dictionary. But it was

the earliest big one to rely so

heavily upon quotations. And, it was Johnson's dictionary that was used by

Murray in calculating

the scope of his work for what was to become the Oxford English Dictionary.



Enjoy your day, and remember that we stand on the shoulders of our

forebearers.



Regards,

David K. Barnhart, Editor

The Barnhart Dictionary Companion

Lexik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]Highlands.com