Yale Digital Edition of the Works of Samuel Johnson

Back to Search

Works of Samuel Johnson

Back to Search

Table of Contents

< Previous document Next document >

Proposals for Printing by Subscription The Original Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox

- Export Citation
- Export Annotation

By Johnson, Samuel

Samuel Johnson: Johnson on Demand

Image view

Print
Save
Share
Cite

Translation

Proposals for Printing by Subscription

The Original Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox (1775)

[Editorial Introduction]

In his Life of Johnson, Boswell published a sentence from one of Johnson’s lost diaries (2 January 1775) that clearly identifies the authorship of this piece: “Wrote Charlotte’s Proposals” (Life, II.289; Yale, I.224). A single copy of the proposals, unattainable by Hill and Powell, eventually turned up in the Boswell Papers at Yale.1 Johnson wrote a frank letter to Lennox on the matter of how to appeal for subscriptions; he expressed confidence that she would succeed, though he acknowledged that her “character” may have been “hurt” by some “indecencies” in “her religion.”2 Despite Johnson’s support, Lennox evidently failed to gather sufficient subscriptions because the proposed collection was never published.3

Page 218

[Proposals for Printing by Subscription The Original Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox]

February 14, 1775

Proposals for Printing by Subscription,

Dedicated to the Queen,1 A New and Elegant Edition,

Enlarged and Corrected,

of The Original Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox.

Consisting of The Female Quixote; Shakespear Illustrated;

Henrietta; Sophia; Eliza; The Sister, A Comedy; Philander,

A Dramatic Pastoral;

And Other Pieces, Never Before Printed.

Conditions.

I. That the work shall be printed in three volumes, quarto, on a fine paper and new type; with a frontispiece, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and engraved by one of the best masters.2 II. That the price to subscribers will be two guineas; one to be paid at the time of subscribing, and the other on the delivery of the book in sheets. III. The work will be ready for delivery to subscribers in October 1776.a

Most of the pieces, as they appeared singly, have been read with approbation, perhaps above their merit, but of no great advantage to the writer. She hopes, therefore, that she shall not be considered as too indulgent to vanity, or too studious of interest, if, from that labour which has hitherto been chiefly gainful to others, she endeavours to obtain at last some profit for herself and her children. She cannot decently enforce her claim by the praise of her own performances;

Page 219

nor can she suppose, that, by the most artful and laboured address, any additional notice could be procured to a publication, of which Her Majesty has condescended to be the patroness.

Subscriptions will be taken in, and receipts delivered, by Mr. Dodsley, in Pall-Mall; Mr. Becket, in The Adelphi; Mr. White, in Fleet-street; Mr. Wilkie, in St. Paul’s Church-yard; Messrs. Dilly, in The Poultry; Mr. Prince, at Oxford; Mr. Woodyer, at Cambridge; Mr. Frederick, at Bath; Mr. Sprange, at Tunbridge; Mr. Balfour, in Edinburgh; and Mr. Faulkner, in Dublin.b,3

Editorial Notes

1 Gen 89, series V, box 62, folder 1303.

2 Letters, II.202; indecencies is crossed out and peculiarities substituted, presumably by Lennox.

3 Bibliography, II.1240; Isles, The Lennox Collection,” XIX.173–76 and nn.; Letters, II.201–2; Schürer, Charlotte Lennox, pp. 159–62 and nn. Schürer also reprints and annotates the proposal itself (pp. 152–56).

1 Queen Charlotte (1744–1818), consort of George III. In 1776 SJ again wrote a dedication to the Queen, this time for Charles Burney’s History of Music (see p. 539 below).

2 Reynolds wrote to Lennox expressing his willingness “to contribute the ornamental part which lyes within my province whenever you are at leisure to sit” (see Isles, “The Lennox Collection,” XIX.172 and n. 142). Isles states that there is no record that such a sitting occurred and that the engraver is likely to have been Francesco Bartolozzi (1727–1815).

a The foregoing is crossed out in the copy-text, and the following is handwritten in ink: What is under was written by Dr. Samuel Johnson.

b This list, and the blank receipt below it, are crossed out in the copy text.

3 James Dodsley (1724–97), brother of Robert, SJ’s “patron”; Thomas Becket, Garrick’s bookseller (Life, V.349, n. 2); Benjamin White (1725?–94); John Wilkie (fl. 1757–85); Edward Dilly (1732–79) and his brother Charles (1739–1807), friends of SJ; Daniel Prince (d. 1796; see Letters, I.113 and n. 7); John Woodyer (d. 1804); William Frederick (d. 1776); Jasper Sprang (1745–1823); John Balfour (d. 1795); George Faulkner (1703?–75). The lower half of this page contains a blank receipt for a subscription payment.

Transcription

Document Details

Document TitleProposals for Printing by Subscription The Original Works of Mrs. Charlotte Lennox

AuthorJohnson, Samuel

Creation Date1775

Publ. DateN/A

Alt. TitleN/A

Contrib. AuthorN/A

ClassificationSubject: Joshua Reynolds; Subject: Women authors; Genre: Proposal

PrinterN/A

PublisherN/A

Publ. PlaceLondon

VolumeSamuel Johnson: Johnson on Demand

Login Required

Your subscription has expired.