Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1

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"Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1" by Samuel Johnson is a collection of biographies written between 1779-81. Commissioned by London publishers to compete with Scottish editions, Johnson crafted biographical sketches and critical assessments of 52 English poets, mostly from the eighteenth century. Though some prefaces began as brief introductions, many expanded into substantial explorations of each poet's life, character, and work. Johnson's judgments proved controversial from publication, with critics challenging his views on Milton, Gray, and Swift, among others.