In 1941, when E. L. McAdam and the late D. Nichol Smith published their edition of Samuel Johnson's poems, no one could have foreseen the surge in Johnsonian studies in the next generation, much less the discovery of additional Johnson and Boswell manuscripts at Malahide Castle. The present volume is thus the first truly complete edition of Johnson's poems to appear.

Meticulously edited and annotated, the poems are presented in chronological order, enabling the reader to follow the growth of Johnson's poetic powers, from school exercises to the great satires, the occasional verse, and the Latin lyrics of his old age.