BOSWELL, James (1740-1795). The Life of Samuel Johnson. London: Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly, 1791. 2 volumes, 4to (269 x 199 mm). Engraved portrait of Johnson by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 2 engraved plates by H. Shepherd. (Some minor spotting; title-page in Vol. II soiled and with gutter margin reinforced; small marginal holes on first few leaves in Vol II; final plate with corner repaired.) Modern calf antique. FIRST EDITION, second state, with "give" on p.135 in Vol. I; Mm4 in Vol. I and E3, Oo4, Qq3, Zz1 and Eee2 in Vol. II are cancels. "Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic poets, Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of the dramatists, Demosthenes is not more sensibly the first of orators, than Boswell is the first of biographers" (Macaulay). Boswell's great biography was published 16 May 1791 and achieved immediate critical acclaim. It has not been out of print since. ESTC T64481; Grolier English 65; Rothschild 463; Tinker 338.