Who was Hodge?
Johnson’s most famous cat, Hodge, came to live with him in the late 1760s. Hodge is the best known of all of Johnson’s cats as he figures in James Boswell’s Life of Johnson:
“I recollect him one day scrambling up Dr Johnson’s breast, apparently with much satisfaction, while my friend smiling and half-whistling, rubbed down his back, and pulled him by the tail.”
Where is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese?
This historic pub is only a stone’s throw from Dr Johnson’s House, on the corner of Wine Office Court and Fleet Street. In addition to serving a good pint of beer, the Cheese also boasts a Chop Room, the Johnson restaurant and a basement food bar.
Where is the first Dictionary?
The manuscript of the Dictionary has long been dispersed, although some fragments remain. Of the original run of 2000 copies for the 1st edition, about half are accounted for today. Many are in private collections, but Dr Johnson’s House has two copies and the British Library has four.
What happened to the house after Dr Johnson left?
It is known that in the nineteenth century the house was used as a hotel, a print shop and a storehouse. By the time the Liberal Member of Parliament Cecil Harmsworth bought the house in 1911, it was semi- derelict. Harmsworth restored the house to its original condition and opened it to the public.
Where can I buy a copy of Dr Johnson’s Dictionary?
The complete text of the first edition of 1755 and the fourth edition of 1773 are now available on a CD-ROM edited by Anne McDermott and available from Cambridge University Press. There is also a new abridgement of the Dictionary containing selected definitions, by David Crystal (available in our shop).
